Question:
At what point, the slope of the curve y = – x3 + 3x2 + 9x – 27 is maximum? Also find the maximum slope.
Solution:
Given, curve y = – x3 + 3x2 + 9x – 27
Differentiating both sides w.r.t. x, we get
dy/dx = -3x2 + 6x + 9
Let slope of the curve dy/dx = z
So, z = -3x2 + 6x + 9
Differentiating both sides w.r.t. x, we get
dz/dx = -6x + 6
For local maxima and local minima,
dz/dx = 0
-6x + 6 = 0 ⇒ x = 1
d2z/dx2 = -6 < 0 Maxima
Putting x = 1 in equation of the curve y = (-1)3 + 3(1)2 + 9(1) – 27
= -1 + 3 + 9 – 27 = -16
Maximum slope = -3(1)2 + 6(1) + 9 = 12
Therefore, (1, -16) is the point at which the slope of the given curve is maximum and maximum slope = 12.