How do I find the equation of the tangent of a curve at a specific point.

The gradient is the rate of change at a specific point on the curve. Since the tangent is a straight line that touches the curve only once at a specific point, the gradient of the curve and the tangent will be the same at that point. We can find the equation of the tangent at any point on a curve by following the steps below: 1: Differentiating the equation of the curve i.e. finding d(f(x))/dx. 2: Substituting the x value of the point in the differentiated equation; we will get the gradient (m) of the curve at that point. 3: We then use the equation of a straight line: y-y1=m(x-x1) where y1 and x1 are the coordinates of the point and m is the gradient found in step 2.

AS
Answered by Aref S. Maths tutor

4163 Views

See similar Maths A Level tutors

Related Maths A Level answers

All answers ▸

A uniform ladder is leaning against a smooth wall on a rough ground. The ladder has a mass of 10 kilograms and is 4 metres long. If the ladder is in equilibrium, state an equation for the coefficient of friction of the ground


Express the following as a partial fraction: (4x^2+12x+9) / (x^2+3x+2) .


How do you solve the integral of ln(x)


Derive from the standard quadratic equation, the form of the quadratic solution


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning