Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Cubic Inflection
This application of derivatives introduces students to an interesting property of cubics and a method of proving that property using the TI-89 scripts. They then use the CAS of their TI-89 to generalize upon specific results.
Harvey Mudd College
Harvey Mudd College: Concavity and the Second Derivative Test
An excellent tutorial explaining concavity and the second derivative test, including a labeled diagram, examples, and links to a quiz.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Using Traffic Data to Reinforce Inflection Points in Calculus
Real data from the morning rush on the Chicago expressways is the basis for a piece-wise regression. The students' success depends on their understanding of inflection points. Students need to use the Select command to split the data...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Analyzing the Second Derivative to Find Inflection Points
Learn how the second derivative of a function is used in order to find the function's inflection points. Learn which common mistakes to avoid in the process.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Using the First and Second Derivative Tests
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] This resource gives a step by step account of how to apply knowledge from First and Second Derivative Tests to sketch graphs of functions. The following table...
Other
Karl's Calculus Tutor: Applications of Derivatives
This detailed site provides five web pages devoted to the various applications of derivatives. Content includes several examples and learning exercises.
Mathematics Archives
Math Archives: Visual Calculus: Graph a Function, Its Second Derivative
This online tutorial site shows that the concavity of a function is related to the second derivative of the function by using an online graphing system. Inflection points are also briefly discussed.
Math Graphs
Houghton Mifflin: Math Graphs: Derivative and Second Derivative [Pdf]
Students use the graph of the derivative to approximate the slope, relative minimum, concavity, and inflection points. The exercise is available in PDF format.
University of California
U of Ca, Davis: Graphing Functions Using Derivatives
Learn about the graphing of functions through useage of the first and second derivatives.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Quartic Inflection
This activity introduces students to an interesting property of fourth degree polynomials and a method of proving that property using the TI-89 scripts. They then use the CAS of their TI-89 to generalize upon specific results.
Interactive Mathematics
Interactive Mathematics: Curve Sketching
Sketches of functions are drawn by determing important points: x- and y-intercepts, local maxima and minima, and point of inflection. The general shapes of specific functions are illustrated to help identify characteristics of each type...
Ministry of Education and Universities of the Region of Murcia (Spain)
Ministerio De Educacion Y Ciencia: Aplicaciones De La Derivada
In Spanish. In this interactive unit learn how to calculate intervals of growth and decay, maximum and minimum value of a function, the intervals of concavity and convexity and the turning points of a function.