Table of contents
- 0. Functions7h 52m
- Introduction to Functions16m
- Piecewise Functions10m
- Properties of Functions9m
- Common Functions1h 8m
- Transformations5m
- Combining Functions27m
- Exponent rules32m
- Exponential Functions28m
- Logarithmic Functions24m
- Properties of Logarithms34m
- Exponential & Logarithmic Equations35m
- Introduction to Trigonometric Functions38m
- Graphs of Trigonometric Functions44m
- Trigonometric Identities47m
- Inverse Trigonometric Functions48m
- 1. Limits and Continuity2h 2m
- 2. Intro to Derivatives1h 33m
- 3. Techniques of Differentiation3h 18m
- 4. Applications of Derivatives2h 38m
- 5. Graphical Applications of Derivatives6h 2m
- 6. Derivatives of Inverse, Exponential, & Logarithmic Functions2h 37m
- 7. Antiderivatives & Indefinite Integrals1h 26m
6. Derivatives of Inverse, Exponential, & Logarithmic Functions
Derivatives of Exponential & Logarithmic Functions
Problem 3.9.62
Textbook Question
The graph of y =xln x has one horizontal tangent line. Find an equation for it.
![](/channels/images/assetPage/verifiedSolution.png)
1
Step 1: Recognize that a horizontal tangent line occurs where the derivative of the function is zero. Therefore, we need to find the derivative of the function y = x^{\ln x}.
Step 2: To differentiate y = x^{\ln x}, use logarithmic differentiation. Start by taking the natural logarithm of both sides: \ln y = \ln(x^{\ln x}) = \ln x \cdot \ln x.
Step 3: Differentiate both sides with respect to x. The left side becomes \frac{1}{y} \cdot \frac{dy}{dx} using the chain rule, and the right side becomes \frac{d}{dx}(\ln x \cdot \ln x) using the product rule.
Step 4: Apply the product rule to differentiate \ln x \cdot \ln x: \frac{d}{dx}(\ln x \cdot \ln x) = \ln x \cdot \frac{1}{x} + \ln x \cdot \frac{1}{x} = 2 \cdot \frac{(\ln x)}{x}.
Step 5: Substitute back to find \frac{dy}{dx}: \frac{1}{y} \cdot \frac{dy}{dx} = 2 \cdot \frac{(\ln x)}{x}. Solve for \frac{dy}{dx} and set it to zero to find the x-value where the tangent is horizontal.
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