{"id":8619,"date":"2017-01-20T09:26:24","date_gmt":"2017-01-20T17:26:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/?p=8619"},"modified":"2022-06-14T17:27:40","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T00:27:40","slug":"derivative-function-tangent-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/ap\/derivative-function-tangent-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the Derivative of a Function the Tangent Line?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In calculus, we learn that the tangent line for a function can be found by computing the derivative.  So there&#8217;s a close relationship between derivatives and tangent lines.  However, they are not the same thing.  For starters, the derivative <em>f<\/em>&nbsp;&#8216;(<em>x<\/em>) is a function, while the tangent line is, well, a line.  <\/p>\n<p>Instead, the correct statement is this: <em>&#8220;The derivative measures the slope of the tangent lines.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Think about this: a <em>clock<\/em> is not the same thing as <em>time<\/em>.  But if you want to know the time of day, you can go look at a clock to find out.  <em>A clock measures the time at any particular point throughout the day<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/files\/2017\/01\/shutterstock_262169879-300x293.jpg\" alt=\"a clock\" width=\"300\" height=\"293\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-8678\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/files\/2017\/01\/shutterstock_262169879-300x293.jpg 300w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/files\/2017\/01\/shutterstock_262169879.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a closer look at tangent lines.<\/p>\n<h2>What is a tangent Line?<\/h2>\n<p>A <strong>tangent line<\/strong> for a function <em>f<\/em>(<em>x<\/em>) at a given point <em>x<\/em> = <em>a<\/em> is a line (linear function) that meets the graph of the function at <em>x<\/em> = <em>a<\/em> and has the same <em>slope<\/em> as the curve does at that point.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes we might say that a tangent line &#8220;<em>just touches<\/em>&#8221; the curve, or &#8220;<em>intersects the curve only once<\/em>,&#8221;f but those ideas can sometimes lead us astray.  <\/p>\n<p>The graph below shows the tangent lines <em>(in red, purple, and magenta)<\/em> at three different points on a curve <em>y<\/em> = <em>f<\/em>(<em>x<\/em>) <em>(in black)<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/files\/2017\/01\/graph_with_tangent_lines.png\" alt=\"Graph with tangent line examples\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/files\/2017\/01\/graph_with_tangent_lines.png 300w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/files\/2017\/01\/graph_with_tangent_lines-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Slope and Derivatives<\/h2>\n<p>So how do we know what the slope of the tangent line should be?  After learning about <em>derivatives<\/em>, you get to use the simple formula, <\/p>\n<p> <em>m<\/em> = <em>f<\/em>&nbsp;&#8216;(<em>a<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>In this formula, the function <em>f<\/em> and <em>x<\/em>-value <em>a<\/em> are given.  Your job is to find <em>m<\/em>, which represents the slope of the tangent line.  Once you have the slope, writing the equation of the tangent line is fairly straightforward.  <\/p>\n<h3>Finding the Tangent Line<\/h3>\n<p>Suppose you are asked to find the tangent line for a function <em>f<\/em>(<em>x<\/em>) at a given point <em>x<\/em> = <em>a<\/em>.  Here is a step-by-step approach:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Find the derivative, <em>f<\/em>&nbsp;&#8216;(<em>x<\/em>).\n<\/li>\n<li>Plug in <em>x<\/em> = <em>a<\/em> to get the slope.  That is, compute <em>m<\/em> =  <em>f<\/em>&nbsp;&#8216;(<em>a<\/em>).\n<\/li>\n<li>If not already given in the problem, find the <em>y<\/em>-coordinate of the point.  As always, you plug the <em>x<\/em>-value into the function in order to get the <em>y<\/em>-value.  Let <em>b<\/em> = <em>f<\/em>(<em>a<\/em>).\n<\/li>\n<li>Use the <strong>point-slope form<\/strong> and solve for <em>y<\/em> to find the equation of the tangent line.  In other words, plug in your values of <em>m<\/em>, <em>a<\/em>, and <em>b<\/em> into the equation,\n<p><em>y<\/em> = <em>m<\/em>(<em>x<\/em> &#8211; <em>a<\/em>) + <em>b<\/em>.\n<\/ol>\n<h3>The Derivative Measures Slope<\/h3>\n<p>Let&#8217;s take another look at that first step, &#8220;<em>Find the derivative<\/em>.&#8221;  Remember, the derivative is a <em>function<\/em> (of the input variable <em>x<\/em>).  By plugging in different input values, <em>x<\/em> = <em>a<\/em>, the output values of <em>f<\/em>&nbsp;&#8216;(<em>x<\/em>) give you the slopes of the tangent lines at each point <em>x<\/em> = <em>a<\/em>.  <\/p>\n<p>This is what we mean when we say that &#8220;the derivative <em>measures<\/em> the slope of the tangent lines.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>If I want to know the slope of <em>f<\/em> at <em>x<\/em> = 1, then I compute <em>f<\/em>&nbsp;&#8216;(1).  And if I want to know the slope at <em>x<\/em> = -352\/13, then I compute <em>f<\/em>&nbsp;&#8216;(-352\/13).  Simple as that!<\/p>\n<h3>Example: A Polynomial<\/h3>\n<p>Now let&#8217;s look at an example function, <em>f<\/em>(<em>x<\/em>) = <em>x<\/em><sup>3<\/sup> + 3<em>x<\/em><sup>2<\/sup> + 1.  We&#8217;ll find the tangent lines at a few different points.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/files\/2017\/01\/cubic_graph.png\" alt=\"Cubic graph example\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8624\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/files\/2017\/01\/cubic_graph.png 300w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/files\/2017\/01\/cubic_graph-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>First of all, find the derivative: <em>f<\/em>&nbsp;&#8216;(<em>x<\/em>) = 3<em>x<\/em><sup>2<\/sup> + 6<em>x<\/em>.  (for practice finding derivatives, check out this <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/ap\/derivatives-ap-calculus-ab-bc-exams\/\">Magoosh article about derivatives<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>The function value and derivative value at a few points are shown in the table below:<\/p>\n<table id=\"tablepress-66\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-66 tablepress-responsive\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n<th class=\"column-1\"><\/th>\n<th class=\"column-2\"><\/th>\n<th class=\"column-3\"><\/th>\n<th class=\"column-4\"><\/th>\n<th class=\"column-5\"><\/th>\n<th class=\"column-6\"><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\"><em>x<\/em><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">-3<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">-2<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">-1<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">0<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-6\">1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\"><em>f<\/em>(<em>x<\/em>) = <em>x<\/em><sup>3<\/sup> + 3<em>x<\/em><sup>2<\/sup> + 1<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">1<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">5<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">3<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">1<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-6\">5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\"><em>f<\/em>&nbsp;&#8216;(<em>x<\/em>) = 3<em>x<\/em><sup>2<\/sup> + 6<em>x<\/em><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">9<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">0<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">-3<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">0<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-6\">9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><!-- #tablepress-66 from cache --><\/p>\n<p>For the points listed, we can easily find the equation of the tangent line.  Note, on the AP Calculus Exam, the multiple choice answers may be simplified.  So I&#8217;ve shown you both the point-slope form and the simplified, or <em>slope-intercept<\/em>, form of the tangent line.<\/p>\n<table id=\"tablepress-67\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-67 tablepress-responsive\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n<th class=\"column-1\"><em>x<\/em><\/th>\n<th class=\"column-2\">Tangent line, point-slope form<\/th>\n<th class=\"column-3\">Tangent line, simplified<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">-3<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\"><em>y<\/em> = 9(<em>x<\/em> + 3) + 1<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><em>y<\/em> = 9<em>x<\/em> + 28<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">-2<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\"><em>y<\/em> = 0(<em>x<\/em> + 2) + 5<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><em>y<\/em> = 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">-1<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\"><em>y<\/em> = -3(<em>x<\/em> + 1) + 3<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><em>y<\/em> = -3<em>x<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">0<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\"><em>y<\/em> = 0(<em>x<\/em> &#8211; 0) + 1<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><em>y<\/em> = 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">1<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\"><em>y<\/em> = 9(<em>x<\/em> &#8211; 1) + 5<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><em>y<\/em> = 9<em>x<\/em> &#8211; 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><!-- #tablepress-67 from cache --><\/p>\n<p>Now let&#8217;s see the graph of <em>y<\/em> = <em>f<\/em>(<em>x<\/em>) together with the tangent lines that we just found.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/files\/2017\/01\/cubic_graph_with_tangent_lines.png\" alt=\"Cubic graph example with tangent lines\" width=\"500\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8625\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/files\/2017\/01\/cubic_graph_with_tangent_lines.png 500w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/files\/2017\/01\/cubic_graph_with_tangent_lines-300x180.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Summary<\/h2>\n<p>So now you know.  The derivative is not the same thing as a tangent line.  Instead, the derivative is a tool for measuring the slope of the tangent line at any particular point, just like a clock measures times throughout the day.  With this in mind, you&#8217;ll have no trouble tackling tangent line problems on the AP Calculus exam!<\/p>\n<p>For more about slope, tangent lines, and derivatives, check out these related Magoosh articles: <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/ap\/derivative-function-slope\/\">Is the Derivative of a Function the Slope?<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/ap\/slope-tangent-ap-calculus\/\">How to Find the Slope of a Line Tangent to a Curve<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The tangent line for a function can be found by computing the derivative. But the tangent line is not the same thing as the derivative. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":223,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[240],"tags":[241],"ppma_author":[24932],"class_list":["post-8619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ap","tag-ap-calculus"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Is the Derivative of a Function the Tangent Line? - Magoosh Blog | High School<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The tangent line for a function can be found by computing the derivative. But the tangent line is not the same thing as the derivative. 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