Analyzing the Setup
The slope of the tangent at any point (x,y) on the curve y=f(x) is defined by the expression:
This differential equation describes the growth rate of the function. Our objective is to determine the specific function f(x) and evaluate it at x=e.
The Art of Separation
To solve this, we employ the method of separation of variables. We group all terms involving y on the left and all terms involving x on the right:
Integrating both sides of the equation yields:
The Integration Dance
The left side integrates directly to lny. For the right side, we use the substitution method where u=lnx, which implies du=x1dx.
Substituting these into the integral, we obtain:
Substituting u=lnx back into the equation, we arrive at the general solution:
The Boundary Condition
We are given that the curve passes through the point (2,(ln2)2). Substituting x=2 and y=(ln2)2 into our general solution allows us to solve for the constant C:
Using the logarithmic property nlna=ln(an), we observe that 2ln(ln2)=ln((ln2)2). This simplifies the equation to:
ln((ln2)2)=ln((ln2)2)+C⇒C=0
The Final Reveal
With C=0, the equation simplifies to lny=2ln(lnx), which is equivalent to lny=ln((lnx)2). Exponentiating both sides, we find the function:
To find the final value at x=e, we substitute into the function:
Since lne=1, we calculate:
f(e)=12=1