How do you use the limit definition to find the slope of the tangent line to the graph #y=x^2+2x# at (-3,3)? Calculus Derivatives Tangent Line to a Curve 1 Answer salamat Jan 20, 2017 #lim_(x_->-3# #(x-1)=-4# Explanation: Let #x_1=-3# #lim_(x_->-3# #(f(x)-f(x_1))/(x-x_1# #lim_(x_->-3# #((x^2+2x)-(x_1^2+2x_1))/(x-x_1# #lim_(x_->-3# #((x^2+2x)-((-3)^2+2(-3)))/(x-(-3)# #lim_(x_->-3# #((x^2+2x)-(9-6))/(x+3)# #lim_(x_->-3# #(x^2+2x-3)/(x+3)# #lim_(x_->-3# #((cancel(x+3))(x-1))/(cancel((x+3))# #lim_(x_->-3# #(x-1)=-3-1 =-4# Answer link Related questions How do you find the equation of a tangent line to a curve? How do you find the slope of the tangent line to a curve at a point? How do you find the tangent line to the curve #y=x^3-9x# at the point where #x=1#? How do you know if a line is tangent to a curve? How do you show a line is a tangent to a curve? How do you find the Tangent line to a curve by implicit differentiation? What is the slope of a line tangent to the curve #3y^2-2x^2=1#? How does tangent slope relate to the slope of a line? What is the slope of a horizontal tangent line? How do you find the slope of a tangent line using secant lines? See all questions in Tangent Line to a Curve Impact of this question 1007 views around the world You can reuse this answer Creative Commons License