QuestionFind the difference quotient , where ,
Simplify your answer as much as possible.
Studdy Solution
STEP 1
What is this asking? We're finding how much the function changes on average over a small interval of size . Watch out! Don't forget to distribute the negative sign correctly when subtracting !
STEP 2
1. Substitute the function
2. Expand and simplify
STEP 3
Alright, let's **kick things off** by substituting the expression for into our difference quotient formula!
Remember, , so .
So we get:
STEP 4
Now, let's **plug in** our expression for , which is :
Notice those parentheses around !
They're super important because we're subtracting the *entire* function .
STEP 5
Let's **distribute** that 8 in the numerator:
Now, **distribute** the negative sign:
Look closely!
We have and , and and .
These will add to zero, which simplifies things nicely:
STEP 6
Since , we can **divide** the numerator and denominator by , which is the same as multiplying by in the numerator and in the denominator: So, our **final simplified expression** is !
STEP 7
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