Analyzing the Setup
Imagine you are standing on a smooth, winding path defined by the function y=x3+3x2+5. You are looking for a specific location on this path—a point (x1,y1) where the tangent line passes perfectly through the origin (0,0).
This is a quest to find a specific alignment between a curve and the coordinate system.
The Calculus Toolkit
To find this point, we first determine the slope of our path at any given location using the derivative. By differentiating y=x3+3x2+5 with respect to x, we obtain:
This expression defines the slope m at any point x. Specifically, at our mystery point (x1,y1), the slope is m=3x12+6x1.
The Origin Constraint
We construct the tangent line using the point-slope form y−y1=m(x−x1). Substituting our slope m, we get:
y−y1=(3x12+6x1)(x−x1)
Because this line passes through the origin (0,0), we substitute x=0 and y=0 into the equation:
0−y1=(3x12+6x1)(0−x1)
Simplifying this expression, we find −y1=−3x13−6x12, which rearranges to:
The Algebraic Bridge
We now have two expressions for y1. From the original curve, y1=x13+3x12+5, and from the tangent condition, y1=3x13+6x12. Setting them equal, we obtain:
Bringing all terms to one side yields the cubic equation:
By testing simple integers, we see that x1=1 satisfies the equation (2+3−5=0). Factoring the cubic confirms this is the only real solution.
Plugging x1=1 back into the curve equation, we find y1=13+3(1)2+5=9. Thus, our mystery point is (1,9).
The Final Verification
We test this point against the provided conditions. For the first, 12+8192=1+1=2 (True). For the second, 992−12=9−1=8 (True).
For the third, 9=4(1)2+5=9 (True). However, for the fourth, 31−92=31−81, which is not 2.
We have successfully identified the point (1,9) and verified the geometric constraints.