Find slope of tangent line

Question

Find slope of tangent line at point (3,17) on function f(x)=x^3-3x-1

Answer 1

The slope of the tangent line is equal to the derivative of the function, evaluated at the given x-value. By applying power rule, we find the derivative of f(x) to be f'(x)=3x²-3. At your given x-value then, the slope is f'(3)=3(3)²-3=27-3=24.