A curve C has equation where is a non-zero constant.
- (a)
Show that any stationary points on C lie on
y = 3x^2.
- (b)
Find, in terms of A, the x-coordinates of the stationary points, and hence determine the range of values of A for which C has two distinct stationary points.
- (c)
Suppose that C has two stationary points. Determine the nature of each of the stationary points found in part (b).
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Worked solution
4(a)
1. Differentiate the equation implicitly with respect to $x$.
Differentiating both sides of with respect to :
2. Use the condition for stationary points to find the relationship between $x$ and $y$.
At a stationary point, the gradient of the curve is zero, so . Substituting this into the differentiated equation:
(Shown)
4(b)
1. Substitute the equation of the locus of stationary points into the curve's equation to form a polynomial in $x$.
Substituting into :
2. Solve the resulting quadratic equation in $x^3$ using the quadratic formula.
Let . The equation is .
Using the quadratic formula:
3. Express the $x$-coordinates of the stationary points in terms of $A$.
Taking the cube root of both sides:
4. Apply the discriminant condition for the quadratic equation in $x^3$ to find the range of $A$ for two distinct stationary points.
For the curve to have two distinct stationary points, the quadratic equation in must have two distinct real roots. Thus, its discriminant must be strictly positive:
Since the problem states is a non-zero constant, .
The range of values is .
Range of values:
4(c)
1. Recalculate the $x$-coordinates of the stationary points (from part (b)) to use in evaluating their nature.
Substitute into the curve equation :
Using the quadratic formula to solve for :
So the -coordinates are .
2. Find the second derivative $\frac{d^2y}{dx^2}$ evaluated at the stationary points.
From part (a), we have the first derivative implicitly defined by the equation:
Differentiating this implicitly with respect to gives:
At a stationary point, . Substituting this in yields:
3. Express the second derivative entirely in terms of $x$.
Substitute the locus of stationary points, , into the expression for :
Factoring out (since , the origin does not lie on the curve, so ):
4. Evaluate the sign of $\frac{d^2y}{dx^2}$ for each stationary point to determine its nature.
Using the expressions for , we evaluate the denominator :
For the stationary point where :
Hence, this is a local maximum.
For the stationary point where :
Hence, this is a local minimum.
The stationary point where is a local maximum.
The stationary point where is a local minimum.
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