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Finding Gradients of Tangents (AQA GCSE Maths)
Revision Note
Finding Gradients of Tangents
What is the gradient of a graph?
- The gradient of a graph at any point is equal to the gradient of the tangent to the curve at that point
- Remember that a tangent is a line that just touches a curve (and doesn’t cross it)
How do I estimate the gradient under a graph?
- To find an estimate for the gradient:
- Draw a tangent to the curve
- Find the gradient of the tangent using Gradient = RISE ÷ RUN
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- In the example above, the gradient at x = 4 would be
- It is an estimate because the tangent has been drawn by eye and is not exact
What does the gradient represent?
- In a y-x graph, the gradient represents the rate of change of y against x
- This has many practical applications, for example;
- in a distance-time graph, the gradient (rate of change of distance against time) is the speed
- in a speed-time graph, the gradient (rate of change of speed against time) is the acceleration
Examiner Tip
- This is particularly useful when working with Speed-Time and Distance-Time graphs if they are curves and not straight lines
Worked example
The graph below shows for
Find an estimate of the gradient of the curve at the point where
Draw a tangent to the curve at the point where x = 0.5.
Find suitable, easy to read coordinates and draw a right-angled triangle between them.
Find the difference in the y coordinates (rise) and the difference in the x coordinates (run).
Divide the difference in y (rise) by the difference in x.
Estimate of gradient = 0.6
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