Question

How do I find the slope of a curve at a point?

Answer 1

The slope of a curve of `y=f(x)` at `x=a` is `f'(a)`.

Let us find the slope of `f(x)=x^3-x+2` at `x=1`.

By taking the derivative,
`f'(x)=3x^2-1`

By plugging in `x=1`,
`f'(1)=3(1)^2-1=2`

Hence, the slope is `2`.