Applications of Derivatives Questions with Solutions

34 questions10 easy19 medium5 hard

This topic uses derivatives to solve practical and geometric problems. It covers the equations of tangents and normals to a curve, the rate of change of quantities (such as how fast the area of a circle grows as its radius increases), approximations using differentials, and increasing and decreasing functions. It also covers maxima and minima, using the first derivative test and the second derivative test, and word problems on optimisation such as finding the largest area for a fixed perimeter. Rolle's theorem and the mean value theorem are included as well. For maxima and minima, set f'(x) = 0 to find the critical points, then check f''(x): a negative value means a maximum and a positive value means a minimum. Remember that the slope of the tangent at a point is f'(x) and the slope of the normal is -1/f'(x). Practise the applications of derivatives questions below, each with a step-by-step solution.

  1. Q1.

    Find the acute angle at which the curves and intersect.

    A. B. C. D.
    mediumAsked in NIMCET 2026View solution ›
  2. Q2.

    Let be defined by . Then which of the following statements is true?

    A. has a point of global maxima in B. has a point of maxima in C. has a point of global minima in D. has a point of local minima in
    hardAsked in NIMCET 2026View solution ›
  3. Q3.

    The population of a town grows at per year. How long will it take for the population to triple?

    A. B. C. D.
    mediumAsked in MAH MCA CET 2025View solution ›
  4. Q4.

    The sum of two numbers is . Their product will be maximum when they are

    A. 3, 7B. 4, 6C. 5, 5D. 8, 2
    easyAsked in AMU MCA 2016View solution ›
  5. Q5.

    The maximum value of is

    A. 1B. C. D.
    easyAsked in AMU MCA 2016View solution ›
  6. Q6.

    The minimum value of , is

    A. 2B. 3C. 6D. 9
    mediumAsked in AMU MCA 2016View solution ›
  7. Q7.

    Between any two real roots of the equation , the equation has

    A. at least one rootB. exactly one rootC. no rootD. None of these
    hardAsked in NIMCET 2023View solution ›
  8. Q8.

    The local maximum value of is equal to . Then the ordered pair is

    A. (3, 7)B. (7, 3)C. (5, 5)D. (4, 4)
    mediumAsked in NIMCET 2023View solution ›
  9. Q9.

    The equation of the tangent at any point of the curve , with as its slope is

    A. B. C. D.
    hardAsked in NIMCET 2023 +1View solution ›
  10. Q10.

    Find the point at which the tangent to the curve has its slope .

    A. (3, 3)B. (3, 2)C. (2, 3)D. (2, 2)
    easyAsked in NIMCET 2013View solution ›
  11. Q11.

    The minimum value of the function is

    A. -120B. -126C. -128D. None of these
    easyAsked in NIMCET 2013View solution ›
  12. Q12.

    The normal to the curve at the point is

    A. B. C. D.
    easyAsked in NIMCET 2012View solution ›
  13. Q13.

    The point on the curve where the tangent is parallel to the x-axis is

    A. (0, 0)B. (2, 8)C. (6, 0)D. (3, 9)
    easyAsked in NIMCET 2012View solution ›
  14. Q14.

    The minimum value of , when and are positive numbers, is

    A. B. C. D.
    mediumAsked in NIMCET 2011View solution ›
  15. Q15.

    If has its extremum values at and , then

    A. B. C. D.
    mediumAsked in NIMCET 2010View solution ›
  16. Q16.

    The angle of intersection of the cardioids and is

    A. B. C. D.
    hardAsked in NIMCET 2010View solution ›
  17. Q17.

    The rate of increase of the length of the shadow of a man m high, due to a lamp at a height of m, when he is moving away from it at m/sec, is

    A. m/secB. m/secC. m/secD. m/sec
    mediumAsked in NIMCET 2010View solution ›
  18. Q18.

    Water runs into a conical tank of radius ft and height ft at a constant rate of cubic ft per minute. How fast is the water level rising when the water is ft deep?

    A. feet/minuteB. feet/minuteC. feet/minuteD. feet/minute
    mediumAsked in NIMCET 2009View solution ›
  19. Q19.

    A box open at the top is made by cutting equal squares from the four corners of a m sheet and folding up the sides. The height of the box for maximum volume is:

    A. mB. mC. mD. None of these
    mediumAsked in NIMCET 2009View solution ›
  20. Q20.

    The function has absolute maximum and minimum at

    A. B. C. D. None of these
    mediumAsked in NIMCET 2008View solution ›
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