The information is enough to get the function value

Calculus Level 5

f ( x + y ) = f ( x ) + f ( y ) 1 f ( x ) f ( y ) \large f(x+y)=\frac{f(x)+f(y)}{1-f(x)f(y)} The function f ( x ) f(x) is defined for any value of x x in certain open interval centered at 0, and for any values of x x and y y in that interval the given functional equation is always valid. Additionally, lim x 0 f ( x ) x = 2 \displaystyle \lim_{x\to 0} \frac{f(x)}{x}=2 .

Find the approximate value of f ( π 12 ) f(\frac{\pi}{12}) rounded to the nearest hundredth.


The answer is 0.58.

This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and, finally, (c) loading the non-javascript version of this page . We're sorry about the hassle.

1 solution

Arturo Presa
Oct 7, 2015

We can prove that f ( x ) f(x) is differentiable for any value of x x in its domain and find a differential equation for f ( x ) f(x) by using the definition of derivative. f ( x ) = lim h 0 f ( x + h ) f ( x ) h = lim h 0 f ( x ) + f ( h ) 1 f ( x ) f ( h ) f ( x ) h = lim h 0 ( 1 + f 2 ( x ) 1 f ( x ) f ( h ) f ( h ) h ) . f'(x)=\lim_{h\to 0} \frac{f(x+h)-f(x)}{h}=\lim_{h\to 0} \frac{\frac{f(x)+f(h)}{1-f(x)f(h)}-f(x)}{h}=\lim_{h\to 0} ( \frac{1+f^2(x)}{1-f(x)f(h)}*\frac{f(h)}{h}).

Now, using that lim h 0 f ( h ) h = 2 \lim_{h\to 0} \frac{f(h)}{h}=2 and lim h 0 f ( h ) = lim h 0 f ( h ) h h = 2 0 = 0 , \lim_{h\to 0} f(h)=\lim_{h\to 0} \frac{f(h)}{h}*h=2*0=0, we obtain that the function f ( x ) f(x) has derivative at any point x x where it is defined (therefore, it is continuous), and f ( x ) = 2 ( 1 + f 2 ( x ) ) . f'(x)= 2(1+f^2(x)). In other words, f ( x ) f(x) is a solution of the differential equation d y d x = 2 ( 1 + y 2 ) . \frac{dy}{dx}=2(1+y^2). By separation of variables we get d y 1 + y 2 = 2 d x . \frac{dy}{1+y^2}=2dx.

Integrating both sides with respect to x x we get arctan y = 2 x + C \arctan y=2x+C . Since f ( 0 ) = lim h 0 f ( h ) = 0 f(0)=\lim_{h\to 0} f(h)=0 , we obtain that y = 0 y =0 when x = 0. x=0. So the value of the constant C C must be 0. That is, arctan y = 2 x \arctan y=2x Solving this equation for y , y, we obtain that y = tan ( 2 x ) y=\tan (2x) , then f ( x ) = tan ( 2 x ) f(x)=\tan(2x) where π 4 < x < π 4 . -\frac{\pi}{4}<x<\frac{\pi}{4}. So the answer is f ( π 12 ) = tan π 6 0.58. f(\frac{\pi}{12})=\tan \frac{\pi}{6}\approx 0.58.

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...