How do you estimate the instantaneous rate of change for #f(x) = 3/x# at #x=2#?
1 Answer
Oct 8, 2015
-3/4 is the instantaneous rate of change at x=2.
Explanation:
Instantaneous rate of change can be found by finding the derivative of the equation. The equation in this particular problem can be rewritten as follows:
#f(x) = 3(x^-1)#
From here we can follow the power rule of derivatives and get the derivative function.
#f'(x) = -3(x^-2)#
or
#f'(x) = -3/x^2#
From here we can plug in our given, x=2, and get the answer.
#f'(2) = -3/4#