Exercise · ZW-TANGENT-PLANE-006 · ★★☆ Intermediate

Use the tangent plane to \(z=\sqrt{x^2+y^2}\) at \((3,4)\) to approximate \(\sqrt{3.03^2+3.96^2}\).

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  • D. \(4.986\)

Explanation

\(f\approx5+\frac35(0.03)+\frac45(-0.04)=5+0.018-0.032=4.986\). The exact value is \(4.9862\ldots\).

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Review the concept: Tangent plane

The tangent plane to the graph of a function \(f(x,y)\) at the point \((a,b,f(a,b))\) is the plane that best approximates the surface near that point and contains the tangent lines of its two coordinate sections.

\[z=f(a,b)+f_x(a,b)(x-a)+f_y(a,b)(y-b)\]

More practice problems: tangent plane

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