How do you find and classify all the critical points and then use the second derivative to check your results given h(t)=-4.9t^2+39.2t+2?

1 Answer
Aug 24, 2016

You first need to find the critical points where h'(t)=0, and then check the sign of the second derivative in those points.

Explanation:

Let's calculate first the first derivative h'(t)=(-4.9)*2*t+39.2

Hence,

h'(t)=0 means -9.8t+39.2=0, and thus the only critical point is t=4.

Let's calculate now the second derivative in t=4. But the second derivative is -9.8 anywhere, so in particular the second derivative in t=4 is -9.8

Since the second derivative is negative in the critical point, the function has a maximum at that point.