Skip to content

The equation of the tangent to

y=x2+8x+c

at the point P is

y=6x+3

Find the coordinates of P and the value of c.


Whilst you can do this with the discriminant, differentiation is probably easier.

Notice that the gradient of the tangent is 6, and so, at P,

dydx=6

You also know that P lies on both the line and the parabola, so the coordinates of P satisfy both of their equations.