Concavity & Points of Inflection (DP IB Maths: AI HL)

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Concavity of a Function

What is concavity?

  • Concavity is the way in which a curve (or surface) bends
  • Mathematically,
    • a curve is CONCAVE DOWN ifspace f apostrophe apostrophe left parenthesis x right parenthesis less than 0 for all values ofspace x in an interval
    • a curve is CONCAVE UP ifspace f apostrophe apostrophe left parenthesis x right parenthesis greater than 0 for all values ofspace x in an interval

ib-aa-sl-5-2-5-concave-diagram

Examiner Tip

  • In an exam an easy way to remember the difference is:
    • Concave down is the shape of (the mouth of) a sad smiley ☹︎
    • Concave up is the shape of (the mouth of) a happy smiley ☺︎

Worked example

 The functionspace f left parenthesis x right parenthesis is given byspace f left parenthesis x right parenthesis equals x cubed minus 3 x plus 2.

a)
Determine whether the curve of the graph ofspace y equals f left parenthesis x right parenthesis is concave down or concave up at the points wherespace x equals negative 2 andspace x equals 2.

5-2-5-ib-sl-aa-only-we1-soltn-a

b)
Find the values ofspace x for which the curve of the graphspace y equals f left parenthesis x right parenthesis of is concave up.

5-2-5-ib-sl-aa-only-we1-soltn-b

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Points of Inflection

What is a point of inflection?

  • A point at which the curve of the graph ofspace y equals f left parenthesis x right parenthesis changes concavity is a point of inflection
  • The alternative spelling, inflexion, may sometimes be used

What are the conditions for a point of inflection?

  • A point of inflection requires BOTH of the following two conditions to hold

    • the second derivative is zero
      • space f apostrophe apostrophe left parenthesis x right parenthesis equals 0
AND

    • the graph ofspace y equals f left parenthesis x right parenthesis changes concavity
      • space f apostrophe apostrophe left parenthesis x right parenthesis changes sign through a point of inflection

ib-aa-sl-5-2-5-point-of-inflection-diagram

  • It is important to understand that the first condition is not sufficient on its own to locate a point of inflection
    • points wherespace f apostrophe apostrophe left parenthesis x right parenthesis equals 0 could be local minimum or maximum points
      • the first derivative test would be needed
    • However, if it is already knownspace f left parenthesis x right parenthesis has a point of inflection atspace x equals a, say, thenspace f apostrophe apostrophe left parenthesis a right parenthesis equals 0

What about the first derivative, like with turning points?

  • A point of inflection, unlike a turning point, does not necessarily have to have a first derivative value of 0 (space f apostrophe left parenthesis x right parenthesis equals 0 )
    • If it does, it is also a stationary point and is often called a horizontal point of inflection
      • the tangent to the curve at this point would be horizontal
    • The normal distribution is an example of a commonly used function that has a graph with two non-stationary points of inflection

How do I find the coordinates of a point of inflection?

  • For the functionspace f left parenthesis x right parenthesis
STEP 1

Differentiatespace f left parenthesis x right parenthesis twice to findspace f apostrophe apostrophe left parenthesis x right parenthesis and solvespace f apostrophe apostrophe left parenthesis x right parenthesis equals 0 to find the x-coordinates of possible points of inflection

STEP 2    

Use the second derivative to test the concavity ofspace f left parenthesis x right parenthesis either side ofspace x equals a

  • Ifspace f apostrophe apostrophe left parenthesis x right parenthesis less than 0 thenspace f left parenthesis x right parenthesis is concave down
  • Ifspace f apostrophe apostrophe left parenthesis x right parenthesis greater than 0 thenspace f left parenthesis x right parenthesis is concave up

If concavity changes, x equals a is a point of inflection

STEP 3

If required, thespace y-coordinate of a point of inflection can be found by substituting thespace x-coordinate intospace f left parenthesis x right parenthesis

Examiner Tip

  • You can find the x-coordinates of the point of inflections of space y equals f left parenthesis x right parenthesis by drawing the graph space y equals f apostrophe left parenthesis x right parenthesis and finding the x-coordinates of any local maximum or local minimum points
  • Another way is to draw the graph space y equals f apostrophe apostrophe left parenthesis x right parenthesis and find the x-coordinates of the points where the graph crosses (not just touches) the x-axis

Worked example

Find the coordinates of the point of inflection on the graph ofspace y equals 2 x cubed minus 18 x squared plus 24 x plus 5.
Fully justify that your answer is a point of inflection.

5-2-5-ib-sl-aa-only-we2-soltn

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Paul

Author: Paul

Expertise: Maths

Paul has taught mathematics for 20 years and has been an examiner for Edexcel for over a decade. GCSE, A level, pure, mechanics, statistics, discrete – if it’s in a Maths exam, Paul will know about it. Paul is a passionate fan of clear and colourful notes with fascinating diagrams – one of the many reasons he is excited to be a member of the SME team.