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June 2022 p32 q4
1608
The equation of a curve is \(y = \cos^3 x \sqrt{\sin x}\). It is given that the curve has one stationary point in the interval \(0 < x < \frac{1}{2}\pi\).
Find the \(x\)-coordinate of this stationary point, giving your answer correct to 3 significant figures.
Solution
To find the stationary point, we need to differentiate the function \(y = \cos^3 x \sqrt{\sin x}\) and set the derivative equal to zero.
Using the product rule and chain rule, the derivative is:
\(\frac{dy}{dx} = -3\cos^2 x \sin x \sqrt{\sin x} + \frac{\cos^3 x \cos x}{2\sqrt{\sin x}}\).
Simplifying, we get:
\(-3\cos^2 x \sin^2 x + \frac{1}{2}\cos^4 x = 0\).
Rearranging gives:
\(7\cos^3 x = 6\).
Solving for \(x\) in the interval \(0 < x < \frac{1}{2}\pi\), we find: