How do you sketch the graph y=sqrt(1+x^2) using the first and second derivatives?

1 Answer
Aug 24, 2017

y=sqrt(1+x^2)=(1+x^2)^(1/2)

Use the chain rule to differentiate:

dy/dx=1/2(1+x^2)^(-1/2)d/dx(1+x^2)=x(1+x^2)^(-1/2)=x/sqrt(1+x^2)

Using the product and chain rules:

(d^2y)/dx^2=(1+x^2)^(-1/2)-1/2x(1+x^2)^(-3/2)(2x)

color(white)((d^2y)/dx^2)=(1+x^2)^(-1/2)-x^2(1+x^2)^(-3/2)

color(white)((d^2y)/dx^2)=1/(1+x^2)^(1/2)-x^2/(1+x^2)^(3/2)

color(white)((d^2y)/dx^2)=(1+x^2-x^2)/(1+x^2)^(3/2)

color(white)((d^2y)/dx^2)=1/(1+x^2)^(3/2)

The domain of y is x in RR.

We see that dy/dx=0 at x=0. When x<0, dy/dx<0 and when x>0, dy/dx>0.

The function is decreasing on x<0, levels out at x=0, and is increasing for x>0.

(d^2y)/dx^2>0 for all Real values of x, so the function is always concave up.

We can also note that y itself has no Real zeros. For all Real values of x, y>0. The minimum value will then be at x=0, where y=1. Note that lim_(xrarr-oo)y=lim_(xrarr+oo)y=+oo.

The drawing of the graph should then look something like:

graph{sqrt(1+x^2) [-17.34, 18.7, -4.97, 13.05]}

The graph is always concave up, has a minimum at (0,1), and switches from increasing to decreasing at x=0.