A graphing celculator is recommended. (a) The curve with ecuation \( y^{2}=x^{3}+3 x^{2} \) is called the Tschirnhausen cubic. Find an equation of the tangent line to this curve at the point ( 1,2 ) (t) At what points does this curve have horizontal tangents? (Order your answers from smallest to largest \( x \), then from smallest to largest \( y \) ) \( \qquad(x, y)= \) ( \( x, y)= \) (b) by graphing the curve and the tangent lines on a common screen.
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To find the tangent line at the point (1, 2) on the curve \( y^{2} = x^{3} + 3x^{2} \), we first need to derive the slope. Using implicit differentiation, we get \( 2y \frac{dy}{dx} = 3x^{2} + 6x \). Evaluating this at (1, 2) gives us \( 2(2) \frac{dy}{dx} = 3(1)^{2} + 6(1) \) leading to \( 4 \frac{dy}{dx} = 9 \) or \( \frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{9}{4} \). Thus, the equation of the tangent line at (1, 2) is \( y - 2 = \frac{9}{4}(x - 1) \). Now, to find points with horizontal tangents, we set \( \frac{dy}{dx} = 0 \) which implies \( 3x^{2} + 6x = 0 \). Factoring out gives \( 3x(x + 2) = 0 \), giving us \( x = 0 \) and \( x = -2 \). For these \( x \) values, substituting back to find \( y \) leads to \( y^{2} = 0 \) when \( x = 0 \) (so \( y = 0 \)), and \( y^{2} = 4 \) when \( x = -2 \) (thus \( y = 2 \) or \( y = -2 \)). Therefore, the horizontal tangent points are \( (x, y) = (-2, -2) \), \( (-2, 2) \), and \( (0, 0) \). Feel free to graph these points along with the curve \( y^{2} = x^{3} + 3x^{2} \) and draw the tangent line — it’s a great way to visualize how these elements interact! Don’t forget to check out online graphing tools for interactive experiences!