A stationary point of inflection implies a second derivative of 0, does this work the other way around?

No, and we may take a counterexample to see why. If y=x^5+5/3x^4, dy/dx=5x^4+20/3x^3, d2y/dx2=20x^3+20x*2=20x^2(x+1). Setting this to 0 will give us the candidates for a POI, but not all these numbers will be. If we set this to 0 we get 20x^2(x+1)=0 so x=-1, or x=0. But we see that at x=0 on the graph that the stationary point is a minimum.So just having a second derivative of 0 is not sufficient to determine if a point is an inflection, but setting the second derivative to 0 gives all the possible candidates for inflection points.

TR
Answered by Toby R. Maths tutor

3311 Views

See similar Maths A Level tutors

Related Maths A Level answers

All answers ▸

How do I know if I am using the right particular integral when solving a differential equation


solve for x, in the form x = loga/logb for 2^(4x - 1) = 3^(5-2x) (taken from OCR June 2014 C2)


The arithmetic series is given by (k+1)+(2k+3)+(3k+5)+...+303. a)Find the number of term in the series in terms of k. b) Show that the sum of the series is given by (152k+46208)/(k+2). c)Given that S=2568, find k.


Solve the


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:

© 2025 by IXL Learning