How do you sketch the curve y=x^2/(x^2+9) by finding local maximum, minimum, inflection points, asymptotes, and intercepts?

1 Answer
Mar 16, 2017

The minimum is =(0,0)
The points of inflexions are =(-sqrt3,1/4) and =(sqrt3,1/4)
The intercept is =(0,0)
The horizontal asymptote is y=1

Explanation:

Let f(x)=x^2/(x^2+9)

f(-x)=x^2/(x^2+9)

f(x)=f(-x)

The curve is symmetric about the y-axis

The derivative of a quotient is

(u/v)'=(u'v-uv')/(v^2)

We start by calculating the first derivative

y=x^2/(x^2+9)

u=x^2, =>, u'=2x

v=x^2+9, =>, v'=2x

dy/dx=(2x(x^2+9)-2x(x^2))/(x^2+9)^2

=(2x^3+18x-2x^3)/(x^2+9)^2

=(18x)/(x^2+9)

The critical values are when dy/dx=0

(18x)/(x^2+9)^2=0

When x=0

We can build a chart

color(white)(aaaa)xcolor(white)(aaaa)-oocolor(white)(aaaaaa)0color(white)(aaaaaa)+oo

color(white)(aaaa)dy/dxcolor(white)(aaaaaa)-color(white)(aaa)0color(white)(aaaa)+

color(white)(aaaa)ycolor(white)(aaaaaaaa)color(white)(aaa)0color(white)(aaaa)

Now, we calculate the second derivative

u=18x, =>, u'=18

v=(x^2+9)^2, =>, v'=2(x^2+9)*2x

(d^2y)/dx^2=(18(x^2+9)^2-18x*(4x(x^2+9)))/(x^2+9)^4

=18(((x^2+9)^2-4x^2(x^2+9)))/(x^2+9)^4

=(18(x^2+9)((x^2+9)-4x^2))/(x^2+9)^4

=(18(9-3x^2))/(x^2+9)^3

=(54(3-x^2))/(x^2+9)^3

(d^2y)/dx^2=0 when x =-sqrt3 and x=sqrt3

The points of inflexions are (-sqrt3, 1/4) and (sqrt3,1/4)

We can build the chart

color(white)(aa)Intervalcolor(white)(aaaa)]-oo,-sqrt3[color(white)(aaaa)]-sqrt3,sqrt3[color(white)(aaaa)]sqrt3,+oo[

color(white)(aa)(d^2y)/dx^2color(white)(aaaaaaaaaaaaa)-color(white)(aaaaaaaaaaaa)+color(white)(aaaaaaaaa)-

color(white)(aa)ycolor(white)(aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa)nncolor(white)(aaaaaaaaaaaa)uucolor(white)(aaaaaaaaa)nn

lim_(x->+-oo)y=lim_(x->+-oo)x^2/x^2=1

The horizontal asymptote is y=1

graph{(y-(x^2)/(x^2+9))(y-1)=0 [-7.02, 7.024, -3.51, 3.51]}