MATH 101 Calculus I 14 OCT 2012

MIDTERM EXAM KEY

1. Let f : R → R be defined by f (x) = x2 · |x|

The derivative f ′(x) is

(A) 3x2 except at x = 0, where it is undefined.

(B) 3x2

(C) 3x · |x| except at x = 0, where it is undefined.

(D) 3x · |x|

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: D

For x positive, function is x3 with derivative 3x2

For x negative, function is x2 · −x = −x3 with derivative −3x2

x2|x| − 0
At x = 0, f ′(0) = limx→0 x−0
= limh→0x|x| = 0

So (D) works.

2. Suppose that the function f : R → R is differentiable everywhere on the real

line. Let g: R → R be defined by g(x) = f (f (x)).

Suppose also that f (0) = 0, f ′(0) = 1

Then g ′(0) is

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) cannot be determined from information given

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: (B)
d
dx
f [f (x)] = f ′(f (x)) · f ′(x)

When x = 0, f ′(f (0)) · f ′(0) = f ′(0) · f ′(0) = 1 · 1 = 1

3. Let f : R → R be defined by f (x) = −5x + 10. The largest open interval for
which |f (x) − f (−3)| < 1 is given by the inequality

(A) |x + 3| < 1 (B) |x − 3| < 1 (C) |x + 3| < 1/5 (D) |x − 3| < 1/5

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: C

|f (x) − f (−3)| = |−5x + 10 − 25| = |−5x − 15| = 5|x + 3|

1
Then |f (x) − f (−3)| < 1  5|x + 3| < 1  |x + 3| < 1/5

for all reals x  1.

x2 + 1
4. Let f be defined by f (x) = x−1
Then f ′(−1) is

(A) 1/2 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) -1

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: (A)
(x − 1)(2x) − (x2 + 1)(1) (−1 − 1)(2 · −1) − ((−1)2 + 1)(1) 4−2 1
f ′(x) = (x − 1)2
so f ′(−1) = (−1 − 1)2
= 4
=2

5. Let f be the function defined by y = cos−1 (x/4) whenever this is defined.

Consider the graph of the function f . Which of the following is an equation of
the tangent line to the graph at the point where x = 0?

(A) y = 1 − x/4 (B) y = π/2 − x/4 (C) y = x/4 (D) y = x

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: (B)

When x = 0, y(0) = cos−1 (0/4) = π/2 so the tangent line passes through (0, π/2)
−1 1 1
y ′(x) = p · 4 and so y ′(0) = − 4
1 − x2/16

An eqn for the tangent line is

1
y − π/2 = − 4 (x − 0) or y = π/2 − x/4

6. Let f : (1, 10) → R be defined by f (x) = x3 − 2x + 1. Let g be the inverse

function of f . Then g ′(5) is

(A) 73 (B) 1/73 (C) 10 (D) 1/10

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: (D)

f ′(x) = 3x2 − 2. f takes the value 5 at x = 2 and f ′(2) = 3 · 22 − 2 = 10.

1 1
Then g ′(5) = f ′(2) = 10

7. Let f : R → R be defined by

1 for x  2

f (x) =
0 for x = 2
Then limx→2 f (x) is

(A) not defined (B) 0 (C) 1 (D) 2

2
(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: (C)

As x gets arbitrarily close to 2, without every being 2, the function value is

arbitrarily close to (in fact exactly) 1.

8. Let f : R → R be defined by

|x|/x for x  0

f (x) =
1 for x = 0
Then limx→0 f (x) is

(A) 1 (B) -1 (C) 0 (D) not defined

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: (D)

f (x) = 1 for x positive and f (x) = −1 for x negative. So the left limit is -1 and
the right limit is +1. As the directional limits do not agree, the limit is not
define.

9. Let f : R → R be defined by f (x) = sin (x). Consider the graph of f . An

equation of the tangent line to the graph at the point (π, 0) is

(A) −x + π (B) x + π (C) x − π (D) −x − π

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: ill-posed question. All responses recieved a mark.

x2
10. Let the function f be defined by f (x) = x2 − 4 wherever this makes sense.

Consider the graph of f . The tangent line to the graph is horizontal when x is

(A) -2 (B) 0 (C) 1 (D) 2

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: (B)
(x2 − 4)(2x) − x2(2x) −8x
f ′(x) = (x2 − 4)2
= (x2 − 4)2

Tangent line horizontal when derivative is zero, so when x = 0.

sin (x2 + 1) − sin (1)
11. limx→0 x
is

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) -1 (D) not defined

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: (A)

3
 sin (x2 + 1) − sin (1) sin (x2 + 1) − sin (02 + 1)
limx→0 x
= limx→0 x−0

is the derivative at x = 0 of the function f defined by f (x) = sin (x2 + 1)

f ′(x) = cos (x2 + 1) · 2x and so f ′(0) = 0.

t3 − t
12. limt→1 =
t2 − 1
(A) -1 (B) 0 (C) 1 (D) the limit is not defined

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: (C)

t3 − t t(t2 − 1)
limt→1 =limt→1 t2 − 1 = limt→1t = 1
t2 − 1

13. Let f : R → R be defined by f (x) = 1 + x + x2 + x3 +

x100 Let g be define by
g(x) = 1/f (x) wherever f (x)  0. Then g ′(0) is

(A) -1 (B) 0 (C) 1 (D) 237

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: (A)

f ′(x) = 1 + 2x + 3x2 +
+ 100x99 and so f ′(0) = 1
−f ′(x) −f ′(0) −1
g ′(x) = [f (x)]2
and so g ′(0) = [f (0)]2
= 12
= −1

14. Let f : R → R be defined by f (x) = tan (x10 + 1). Then f ′(0) is

(A) -1 (B) 0 (C) 1 (D) the derivative is not defined

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: (B)

f ′(x) = sec2 (x10 + 1) · 10x9 and so f ′(0) = 0

15. The value of sin−1 (π) ( also written as asin(π) ) is

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 1/2 (D) not defined

(E) none of the other choices is correct

Answer: (D)

The sin function never takes the value π so inverse sin of π is not defined.