Calculus and Probability Theory

Assignment 2

Note:

ˆ You can hand in your solutions as a single PDF via the assignment
module in Brightspace. Note that the document should be in English
and typeset with LATEX, Word or a similar program. It should not be
a scan or picture of your handwritten notes.
ˆ Make sure that your name, student number and group number are on
top of the first page!
ˆ Note that your submission should be an individual submis-
sion because it can influence your final grade for this course.
If we detect that your work is not completely your own work,
we will ask the exam committee to investigate whether it is
plagiarism or not!

Exercises to be presented during the exercise hours

Exercise 1
Use polynomial long division to divide the polynomial x3 − x2 − 3x + 7 by x − 2
to obtain a quotient and remainder.1 Is 2 a root of the first polynomial?
Exercise 2
Find the limits.
2
a) lim 3x +8 ;
x→∞ x+1
xn −an
b) lim x−a
for some parameter a ∈ R. (Hint: When f (x) = xn and
x→a
you use the definition of the derivative of f in the point a, do you then
recognize this limit? If not, you can always simplify the fraction using
long division)

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynomial_long_division

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Exercise 3
Recall that if a function f is differentiable at a, then the derivative at the point
a is defined as
f (a + h) − f (a)
f 0 (a) = lim .
h→0 h
Use the definition to find the derivative of the given functions at the point a:
a) f (x) = π, a = 2;
b) f (x) = x2 + 2x + 1, a = 3;
5x−7
c) f (x) = 4x+3 , any a 6= − 34 .

Exercise 4
1
Consider the function f (x) = 1+x .

a) Find the tangent line of the function f (x) at x = 1.

b) What line is approached by f (x) as x → ∞?

Exercise 5
Find the derivative on the domain of the following functions. You can freely
use all the differentiation rules that were discussed in the lecture. Simplify the
result as much as you can.
a) f (x) = x4 − 2x3 + 7;
x2 +5
b) f (x) = x−7 ;
√
c) f (x) = sin2 ( x);
√
d) f (x) = 1 − cos2 ( x);

Exercise 6
Consider a function f (x) satisfying f (x) = f (4x − 2) for all real values x.
If f (x) is differentiable for all x and f 0 (4) = 40, then what is the value of
f 0 (54)? [Hint: take the derivative of both sides. Use the chain rule to show that
f 0 (x) = 4f 0 (4x − 2).]

Exercise 7
a) The curve with equation y 2 = x3 + 3x2 is the Tschirnhausen cubic. Find
an equation of the tangent line to this curve at the point (1,-2).

b) The curve with equation y 2 = 5x4 − x2 is the kampyle of Eudoxus. Find

an equation of the tangent line to this curve at the point (1,2).

Exercises to be handed in

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 You are expected to explain your answers, even if this is not explicitly stated
in the exercises themselves.

Exercise 8
Let p(x) = x3 − 3x2 − 45x + 175 be a 3rd degree polynomial. 1 pt

a) Show that 5 is a root of the polynomial x3 − 3x2 − 45x + 175 using poly-
nomial long division.
b) Determine the other roots of the polynomial p(x).

Exercise 9
Find the limit of 1 pt
x3 + 2x2 + 2
lim
x→−∞ 3x3 + x + 4

Exercise 10
Recall that if a function f is differentiable at a, then the derivative at the point 1 pt
a is defined as
f (a + h) − f (a)
f 0 (a) = lim .
h→0 h
Use this definition to find the derivative of the function f (x) = 2x + 3 for any
point a in R.
Exercise 11
1
Consider the function f (x) = 1 .
(1+ x )
Find the tangent line of f (x) at x = 2. 1 pt

Exercise 12
Find the derivative on the domain of the following functions. You can freely
use all the differentiation rules that were discussed in the lecture. Simplify the
result as much as you can.
a) Find the derivative op f (x) = tan(sin(x)). 1 pt

b) Given the function f (x) = cos(3x): What is f (2024) (x)? (Hint: Start with 1 pt
finding the first few derivatives of f .)
p
c) Find the derivative of f (x) = sin(x2 ) + cos(2x). 1 pt

Exercise 13
The polynomial P (x) satisfies the following identity 1 pt

P (P (x) + x) = 11 · (P (x) + x)2 − 4 · (P (x) + x) + 5

What is the value of P 0 (6)? (You may assume that P (x) is not linear, in particu-
lar P (x) 6= −x+c for some constant c ∈ R.) Use the chain rule for derivatives
in the derivation of your answer. [Hint: you need to follow a similar strategy as
in the practice exercises.]

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Exercise 14
a) The equation (x2 + y 2 − 1)3 − x2 y 3 = 0 forms a heart shaped curve. Find 1 pt
an equation of the tangent line to (1,1).
r
√
q p
b) Find the derivative of y = x + x + x + x + · · · (to infinity). [Hint: 1 pt
what remains when you take out 1 term? Write as an implicit equation.]

Exercise 15 (Bonus 1pt)

Select the best fitting answer.
a) Suppose that we have the following two statements:
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(1) f = (x−1)(x+1) is an odd function
1
(2) g = x(x−1)(x+1) is an odd function

Then

(A) Only statement (1) is true

(B) Only statement (2) is true
(C) Both statements (1) and (2) are true
(D) Neither statement (1) or (2) is true

b) Consider the following two functions defined on the closed interval [0, 2]

2x + 2 x2 + 9
f (x) = g(x) =
2x − 2 x2 − 9
then
(A) Both f and g are continuous
(B) f is continuous whereas g is not continuous
(C) f is not continuous whereas g is continuous
(D) Neither f nor g is continuous
c) Let f = x10 − 3x + 1. Then

(1) f has a root in the interval (0, 1)

(2) f has a root in the interval (1, 2)
Then
(A) Only statement (1) is true
(B) Only statement (2) is true
(C) Both statements (1) and (2) are true
(D) Neither statement (1) or (2) is true

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 1
d) The domain of the function f (x) = r q √
√
1− 1− 1− 1−x2

(A) {x : x < 1}
(B) [−1, 1]
(C) (−1, 1)
(D) None of these
e) Let f (x) and g(x) be two functions, then min{f (x), g(x)} can be defined
as
1
(A) 2 (f (x) + g(x) + |f (x) − g(x)|)
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(B) 2 (f (x) + g(x) − |f (x) − g(x)|)
1
(C) 2 (|f (x) + g(x)| + |f (x) − g(x)|)
(D) None of the above

Your final grade is the sum of your scores divided by 1.0.