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Q.For the curve y=5x−2x3y = 5x - 2x^3, if xx increases at the rate of 2 units/s, then how fast is the slope of the curve changing when x=2x = 2 ?

CBSECBSE Class XII Board 2025Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
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The slope itself is a function of xx, so its rate of change is found by differentiating the derivative. At x=2x = 2 with dxdt=2\frac{dx}{dt} = 2 units/s, the slope decreases at −48-48 units per second.

The question asks how fast the slope is changing, not how fast yy is changing. This is a related-rates problem with a twist: we need to track the rate of change of the derivative itself.

The slope of the curve at any point is given by the first derivative dydx\frac{dy}{dx}. But the slope varies as we move along the curve (as xx changes), so the slope is itself a function of xx. When xx changes with time, the slope changes with time too. To find how fast the slope changes, we differentiate the slope with respect to time using the chain rule.


  1. Find the slope function.

    The curve is y=5x−2x3y = 5x - 2x^3. Differentiate with respect to xx:

dydx=5−6x2\frac{dy}{dx} = 5 - 6x^2

This is the slope at any point xx on the curve.

  1. Recognize that slope changes as xx changes.

    We want ddt(dydx)\frac{d}{dt}\left(\frac{dy}{dx}\right), the rate at which the slope itself changes over time. Denote the slope by m=5−6x2m = 5 - 6x^2. Then:

dmdt=ddt(5−6x2)\frac{dm}{dt} = \frac{d}{dt}(5 - 6x^2)

  1. Apply the chain rule.

    Since xx is a function of time, we use the chain rule:

dmdt=dmdx⋅dxdt\frac{dm}{dt} = \frac{dm}{dx} \cdot \frac{dx}{dt}

First, find dmdx\frac{dm}{dx}:

dmdx=ddx(5−6x2)=−12x\frac{dm}{dx} = \frac{d}{dx}(5 - 6x^2) = -12x

  1. Substitute the given rate and position. …

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