- [Instructor] Let g be a
twice differentiable function
defined over the closed interval
from negative seven to seven,
so it includes those
endpoints of the interval.
This is the graph of its second
derivative, g prime prime,
so that's the graph right over there,
y is equal to g prime prime of x.
And they ask us how many inflection points
does the graph of g have?
So, let's just remind ourselves
what an inflection point is.
So, that is when we go from
being concave downwards
to concave upwards, so
something like this.
And another way to think about it,
a point where our slope goes
from decreasing to increasing.
So, here our slope is that,
then it's a little lower,
then it's a little lower,
then it's a little lower,
but then all of a sudden
it starts increasing again.
It starts increasing, getting
higher, higher, and higher.
So, that would be an inflection point,
whatever x value where
that would actually happen.
That would be the inflection point.
You could go the other way around.
You could have a function
that looks something like this
where we have a negative slope,
but then our slope is increasing,
slope is increasing, slope is increasing,
but then our slope
begins decreasing again.
This too would be an inflection point.
So, in other videos we go
into more of the intuition
of how do you think about the
first and second derivatives
of a function at an inflection point?
But the big picture,
at least for the purposes
of this worked example,
is to realize when you're
looking at the second derivative,
you have an inflection point
where the second derivative
crosses the x axis.
It's not enough to just touch the x axis.
You must cross the x axis.
And so right over here we
are crossing the x axis,
so that is an inflection point.
Right over here, we are
crossing the x axis,
so that is an inflection point.
Here and here we touch the x axis.
Our second derivative is equal to zero.
But we don't cross.
We don't cross the actual x axis.
We don't go from being
positive to negative.
We stay non-negative this entire time.
Similarly right over here,
maybe something interesting
happens past this point,
but they're telling us that the function
is only defined over this interval,
so actually nothing happens
beyond getting that point,
so we're not going to cross the x axis.
So, to answer the question,
how many inflection points
does the graph g have,
well, it has two inflection points
looking at the second derivative here.
Now, we know the answer.
Why does that make sense?
Why do you have to cross the x axis?
Well, let's just imagine.
Let's say that this is the
graph of a second derivative.
So, this is f prime prime.
So, the first derivative, for
example, could look like this.
The first derivative might look like this,
where over here we have a negative slope,
negative slope, negative
slope, negative slope,
but it's getting closer and closer,
and then right over here,
all of a sudden the slope
becomes positive and increasing.
So, that would be f prime of x.
And then you could think about, well,
if this is describing the
derivative of our function,
then what's our function
going to look like?
Well, our function over here
would have a very positive slope,
but then the slope would keep decreasing
all the way up until this point,
and then it increases again.
So, we have a positive
slope right over here.
So, for example, our function
might look like this.
It might have a very positive slope,
but then the slope keeps decreasing,
and then right over here all of a sudden,
the slope begins increasing.
The slope begins increasing again.
And so here we were concave
downward over this first part,
over this first part.
We have a positive slope,
but it's decreasing.
Positive slope, but it's decreasing.
And then we go to having a positive slope,
but now we are increasing again.
And so this should give you
a good sense for why you need
to cross the x axis in
the second derivative.
