Thomas' Calculus 13th Edition

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0-32187-896-5
ISBN 13: 978-0-32187-896-0

Chapter 4: Applications of Derivatives - Section 4.2 - The Mean Value Theorem - Exercises 4.2 - Page 198: 53

Answer

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Work Step by Step

Step 1. The Mean Value Theorem states that for a continuous function in a closed interval $[a,b]$ and differentiable in $(a,b)$, we can find at least one point $c$ in the interval such that $f'(c)=\frac{f(b)-f(a)}{b-a}$ Step 2. In the case of this problem, we simulate the trip as a continuous function $s(t)$, and the average speed can be found as $\bar v=\frac{s(2)-s(0)}{2-0}$ Step 3. The speed function is the derivative of the distance function $v(t)=s'(t)$. Using the above result, we can find at least a time $t_1$ such that $s'(t_1)=\frac{s(2)-s(0)}{2-0}$ (the Mean Value Theorem) which means that $v(t_1)=\bar v$.
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