Calculus Maximus WS 5.

2: Slope Fields

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Worksheet 5.2—Slope Fields

Show all work when applicable.

Short Answer and Free Response:

Draw a slope field for each of the following differential equations.

dy dy
1.  x 1 2.  2y
dx dx

dy dy
3.  x y 4.  2x
dx dx

dy dy y
5.  y 1 6. 
dx dx x

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Calculus Maximus WS 5.2: Slope Fields

For 7 – 12, match each slope field with the equation that the slope field could represent.

7. 8.

9. 10.

11. 12.

(A) y  1 (B) y  x (C) y  x 2

1 3 1 (F) y  sin x
(D) y  x (E) y 
6 x2
(G) y  cos x (H) y  ln x

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Calculus Maximus WS 5.2: Slope Fields

For 13 – 16, match the slope fields with their differential equations.
13. 14.

15. 16.

dy 1 dy
(A)  x 1 (B)  x y
dx 2 dx

dy dy x
(C) y (D) 
dx dx y

dy
17. The calculator-drawn slope field for the differential equation  x  y is shown in the figure below.
dx

(a) Sketch the solution curve through the point  0,1 .

(b) Sketch the solution curve through the point  3, 0  .
(c) Approximate y(3.1) using the equation of the tangent line to y  f ( x) at the point  3, 0  .

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Calculus Maximus WS 5.2: Slope Fields

dy
18. Consider the differential equation  2 y  4x .
dx
(a) The slope field for the differential equation is shown below. Sketch the solution curve that passes
through the point  0,1 and sketch the solution curve that goes through the point  0, 1 .

(b) There is a value of b for which y  2 x  b is a solution to the differential equation. Find this value
of b. Justify your answer.

(c) Let g be the function that satisfies the given differential equation with the initial condition g  0   0 .
It appears from the slope field that g has a local maximum at the point  0, 0  . Using the differential
equation, prove analytically that this is so.

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Calculus Maximus WS 5.2: Slope Fields

Multiple Choice:

19. Given the following slope field (with equilibrium

solutions, meaning the slopes are zero and a the
existence of a horizontal asymptote on the solution
graph, at y  0 and y  1 ), find the matching
differential equation.

dy dy
(A) y  y  1 (B)  y 1  y 
dx dx
 1 e  
dy 1 dy y 1 y
(C)  (D)
dx y 1  y  dx
dy y
(E) 
dx y  1

dy
20. A slope field for the differential equation  42  y will show
dx
(A) a line with slope 1 and y-intercept of 42 (B) a vertical asymptote at x  42
(C) a horizontal asymptote at y  42 (D) a family of parabolas opening downward
(E) a family of parabolas opening to the left

21. For which of the following differential equations will a slope field show nothing but negative slopes in
the fourth quadrant?
dy x dy dy dy x3 dy y
(A)  (B)  xy  5 (C)  xy 2  2 (D)  2 (E)  2 3
dx y dx dx dx y dx x

22. Which of the following differential equations would produce the slope field shown below?

dy dy dy dy dy
(A)  y x (B)  y x (C)  yx (D)  yx (E)  yx
dx dx dx dx dx

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Calculus Maximus WS 5.2: Slope Fields

23. Which of the following differential equations would produce the slope field shown below?

dy dy x dy x dy y dy y
(A)  y  3x (B)  y (C)  y (D)  x (E)  x
dx dx 3 dx 3 dx 3 dx 3

24. AP 2010B-5 (No Calculator)

dy x  1
Consider the differential equation  .
dx y
(a) On the axes provided at right, sketch a slope field for the given
differential equation at the twelve points indicated, and for
1  x  1, sketch the solution curve that passes through the point
 0, 1 .
(b) While the slope field in part (a) is drawn at only twelve points, it is
defined at every point in the xy-plane for which y  0 . Describe all
dy
points in the xy-plane, y  0 , for which  1 .
dx

(c) Find the particular solution y  f  x  to the given differential equation with the initial condition
f  0   2 .

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Calculus Maximus WS 5.2: Slope Fields

25. AP 2006-5 (No Calculator)

dy 1  y
Consider the differential equation  , where x  0 .
dx x

(a) On the axes provided, sketch a slope field for the given differential equation at the eight points
indicated.

(b) Find the particular solution y  f  x  to the differential equation with the initial condition
f  1  1 and state its domain.

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Calculus Maximus WS 5.2: Slope Fields

26. AP 2005-6 (No Calculator)

dy 2x
Consider the differential equation  .
dx y
(a) On the axes provided, sketch a slope field for the given differential equation at the twelve points
indicated.

(b) Let y  f  x  be the particular solution to the differential equation with the initial condition
f 1  1 . Write an equation for the line tangent to the graph of f at 1, 1 and use it to
approximate f 1.1 .

(c) Find the particular solution y  f  x  to the given differential equation with the initial condition
f 1  1 .

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