CAIE P3 2015 November — Question 5

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleP3 (Pure Mathematics 3)
Year2015
SessionNovember
TopicProduct & Quotient Rules

5 The equation of a curve is \(y = \mathrm { e } ^ { - 2 x } \tan x\), for \(0 \leqslant x < \frac { 1 } { 2 } \pi\).
  1. Obtain an expression for \(\frac { \mathrm { d } y } { \mathrm {~d} x }\) and show that it can be written in the form \(\mathrm { e } ^ { - 2 x } ( a + b \tan x ) ^ { 2 }\), where \(a\) and \(b\) are constants.
  2. Explain why the gradient of the curve is never negative.
  3. Find the value of \(x\) for which the gradient is least.