🎯⭐ INTERACTIVE LESSON

Taylor & Maclaurin Series

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Taylor & Maclaurin Series - Complete Interactive Lesson

Part 1: Core Concepts

Taylor & Maclaurin Series — The General Formula

Part 1 of 7 — Taylor Polynomial Construction

Taylor Series Centered at $x = c$

$\boxed{f(x) = \sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{f^{(n)}(c)}{n!}(x - c)^n}$

$= f(c) + f'(c)(x-c) + \frac{f''(c)}{2!}(x-c)^2 + \frac{f'''(c)}{3!}(x-c)^3 + \cdots$

Maclaurin Series (Special Case: $c = 0$ )

$f(x) = \sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{f^{(n)}(0)}{n!} x^n = f(0) + f'(0)x + \frac{f''(0)}{2!}x^2 + \cdots$

Taylor Polynomials

The $n$ th-degree Taylor polynomial is the partial sum:

$T_n(x) = \sum_{k=0}^{n} \frac{f^{(k)}(c)}{k!}(x-c)^k$

Degree	Polynomial	Approximation Quality
$T_0$	$f(c)$	Constant (matches value)
$T_1$

AP Tip: "Write the $n$ th-degree Taylor polynomial" means $T_n(x)$ . "Write the first four nonzero terms of the Taylor series" may give a higher-degree polynomial.

Example: Taylor Series for $e^x$ at $c = 0$

$f(x) = e^x \implies f^{(n)}(x) = e^x \implies f^{(n)}(0) = 1$ for all

Taylor Polynomial Basics

Building Taylor Polynomials

Derivative Extraction

Summary

Taylor series: $\sum f^{(n)}(c)(x-c)^n/n!$
Maclaurin series: Taylor at

Part 2: Worked Examples

Taylor & Maclaurin Series — Computing from Scratch

Part 2 of 7 — Derivative Tables & Non-Zero Centers

Method: Derivative Table

To build the Taylor series at $c$ :

Compute $f(c), f'(c), f''(c), f'''(c), \ldots$

Part 3: Problem-Solving Patterns

Taylor & Maclaurin — Known Series & Manipulation

Part 3 of 7 — Using Known Series to Build New Ones

The Big Six (Must Memorize)

\begin{aligned} \frac{1}{1 - x} & = \sum_{n = 0}^{\infty} x^{n}, ∣ x ∣ < 1 \\ e^{x} & = \sum_{n = 0}^{\infty} \frac{x^{n}}{n!}, all x \\ \sin x & = \sum_{n = 0}^{\infty} \frac{(- 1)^{}}{} \end{aligned}

Part 4: Graphs and Interpretation

Taylor & Maclaurin — Taylor's Theorem & Remainder

Part 4 of 7 — The Lagrange Error Bound

Taylor's Theorem

If $f$ has $(n+1)$ continuous derivatives, then:

$f(x) = T_n(x) + R_n(x)$

Part 5: Applications

Taylor & Maclaurin — AP FRQ Strategies

Part 5 of 7 — Exam Techniques

The FRQ Taylor Series Question

This appears on virtually EVERY BC exam. The typical structure:

Part (a): Write the first 4 nonzero terms and the general term of the Taylor/Maclaurin series for $f$ .

Part (b): Find the interval/radius of convergence.

Part (c): Use the series to approximate a value or integral.

Part (d): Show the approximation has error less than some bound.

Part (a) Strategy

If $f$ is...	Strategy
A known function ( $e^x$ , , etc.)

Part 6: Exam Strategy

Taylor & Maclaurin — Problem-Solving Workshop

Part 6 of 7 — Mixed Practice

Workshop Focus

This workshop covers the full range of Taylor series tasks:

Computing series from scratch
Manipulating known series
Finding intervals of convergence
Error bound calculations
Integrating/differentiating series

Workshop Problems

Series Identification

Derivative from Series

Workshop Takeaways

Derivative table method for unfamiliar functions (like $\tan x$ )
Binomial series for $(1+x)^p$ when is not a positive integer

Part 7: Mixed Review

Taylor & Maclaurin — Comprehensive Review

Part 7 of 7 — Complete Topic Review

Master Reference

Concept	Key Formula
Taylor series	$\sum f^{(n)}(c)(x-c)^n/n!$

3!f′′′(c)(x−

$e^x = \sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{x^n}{n!} = 1 + x + \frac{x^2}{2} + \frac{x^3}{6} + \frac{x^4}{24} + \cdots$

Example: Taylor Series for $\sin x$ at $c = 0$

$n$	$f^{(n)}(x)$	$f^{(n)}(0)$
0	$\sin x$	$0$
1	$\cos x$	$1$
2	$-\sin x$

Pattern repeats with period 4: $0, 1, 0, -1, 0, 1, 0, -1, \ldots$

$\sin x = x - \frac{x^3}{3!} + \frac{x^5}{5!} - \frac{x^7}{7!} + \cdots = \sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{(-1)^n x^{2n+1}}{(2n+1)!}$

T_n(x)

= partial sum through degree

n

Know the difference between "degree

n

" and "first

k

nonzero terms"

Next: Part 2 — Computing Taylor Series from Scratch.

Form coefficients

a_n = f^{(n)}(c)/n!

Write

\sum a_n(x-c)^n

Example: $f(x) = \sqrt{x}$ at $c = 4$

$n$	$f^{(n)}(x)$	$f^{(n)}(4)$	$a_n = f^{(n)}(4)/n!$
0	$x^{1/2}$	$2$	$2$
1	$\frac{1}{2}x^{-1/2}$

$\sqrt{x} \approx 2 + \frac{1}{4}(x-4) - \frac{1}{64}(x-4)^2 + \frac{1}{512}(x-4)^3 - \cdots$

AP Tip: This is the method for functions NOT in the "big six" list. You compute derivatives until a pattern emerges or until you have enough terms.

Taylor Series at Non-Zero Centers

Example: $e^x$ centered at $c = 1$

$f^{(n)}(1) = e$ for all $n$ .

$e^x = \sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{e}{n!}(x-1)^n = e\left[1 + (x-1) + \frac{(x-1)^2}{2!} + \cdots\right]$

Example: $\sin x$ centered at $c = \pi/2$

$n$	$f^{(n)}(\pi/2)$
0	$1$
1

$\sin x = 1 - \frac{(x - \pi/2)^2}{2!} + \frac{(x-\pi/2)^4}{4!} - \cdots$

Notice this looks like $\cos(x - \pi/2)$ , which makes sense since $\sin x = \cos(x - \pi/2)$ !

Computing Taylor Series

Derivative Computation

Taylor at Non-Zero Center

Summary

Build Taylor series via derivative tables
Non-zero centers: evaluate at $c$ , use $(x-c)^n$
Look for patterns in derivatives (cyclic, factorial, powers)
On the AP exam, you typically need 3-4 terms, not the general formula

Next: Part 3 — Known Series and Manipulation Techniques.

\frac{1}{1 - x} e^{x} sin x cos x ln (1 + x) arctan x = n = 0 \sum \infty x^{n}, ∣ x ∣ < 1 =

Manipulation Toolkit

Technique	Example
Substitution	$e^{-x^2}$ : replace $x$ with $-x^2$ in $e^x$
Multiplication	$x\cos x$ : multiply $\cos x$ series by $x$
Differentiation	$1/(1-x)^2$ : differentiate $1/(1-x)$
Integration	$\arctan x$ : integrate $1/(1+x^2)$
Addition	$\cosh x = (e^x + e^{-x})/2$ : add two series

AP Tip: Building from known series is MUCH faster than computing derivatives from scratch. Always try this first.

Worked Examples

Example 1: $xe^{-x}$

$e^{-x} = \sum \frac{(-x)^n}{n!} = \sum \frac{(-1)^n x^n}{n!}$

$xe^{-x} = \sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{(-1)^n x^{n+1}}{n!} = x - x^2 + \frac{x^3}{2} - \frac{x^4}{6} + \cdots$

Example 2: $\cos^2 x$ (using identity)

$\cos^2 x = \frac{1 + \cos 2x}{2} = \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{2}\sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{(-1)^n (2x)^{2n}}{(2n)!}$

$= \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{2}\left[1 - 2x^2 + \frac{2x^4}{3} - \cdots\right]$

Wait: $\cos(2x) = 1 - (2x)^2/2! + (2x)^4/4! - \cdots = 1 - 2x^2 + 2x^4/3 - \cdots$

$\cos^2 x = 1 - x^2 + x^4/3 - \cdots$

Key Insight: Using trig identities + known series is often the fastest approach.

Manipulation Practice

Series Construction

Quick Coefficient

Summary

Always try manipulating known series before computing derivatives
Substitution, multiplication, and differentiation/integration are the main tools
Trig identities can simplify series construction
Only even/odd powers? Pay attention to symmetry

Next: Part 4 — Taylor's Theorem and the Remainder.

where $R_n(x) =$ the remainder (error of approximation).

The Lagrange Error Bound

$\boxed{|R_n(x)| \le \frac{M \cdot |x - c|^{n+1}}{(n+1)!}}$

where $M = \max_{t}|f^{(n+1)}(t)|$ on the interval between $c$ and $x$ .

Comparison of Error Bounds

Bound	When to Use	Formula
Lagrange	Any Taylor polynomial	$M
AST	Alternating Taylor series	$

AP Tip: Use the AST error bound when the series alternates — it's simpler. Use Lagrange when it doesn't alternate or when specifically asked.

Example: Bound the Error of $e^x \approx T_3(x)$ at $x = 0.5$

$T_3(0.5) = 1 + 0.5 + 0.125 + 0.0208\overline{3} = 1.6458\overline{3}$

For the Lagrange bound: $f^{(4)}(x) = e^x$

$M = \max_{0 \le t \le 0.5} e^t = e^{0.5} \approx 1.649$

$|R_3(0.5)| \le \frac{1.649 \cdot (0.5)^4}{4!} = \frac{1.649 \cdot 0.0625}{24} \approx 0.00429$

Actual: $e^{0.5} \approx 1.6487$ , error $\approx 0.0029$ . The bound ( $0.0043$ ) is correct and conservative.

Common $M$ Values

Function	$f^{(n+1)}(x)$	$M$ on $[0, x_0]$

Lagrange Error Practice

Error Bound Decisions

Lagrange Computation

Summary

Lagrange Error: $|R_n(x)| \le M|x-c|^{n+1}/(n+1)!$
Find $M$ by bounding $|f^{(n+1)}|$ on the interval
For $\sin/\cos$ : $M = 1$ always
For $e^x$ : $M = e^{|x|}$ (or use crude bound like $3$ )
Use AST when series alternates (it's tighter and easier)

Next: Part 5 — AP FRQ Strategies for Taylor Series.

AP Tip: "General term" means write $\sum$ notation with $n$ . This is where students lose the most points — verify your general term by checking it produces the first few terms correctly.

Part (b): Interval of Convergence

Always use Ratio Test → test endpoints.

Write your answer as an interval with proper notation: $[-1,1)$ , not " $-1$ to $1$ ."

Part (c): Approximation

Substitute the given value into your series: $\sin(0.5) \approx 0.5 - (0.5)^3/6 + (0.5)^5/120 = 0.5 - 0.02083 + 0.00026 = 0.47943$

Part (d): Error Bound

Choose between:

AST Error Bound if the series alternates (simpler!)
Lagrange Error Bound if not alternating or specifically asked

Template for AST: "Since the series is alternating with decreasing terms converging to $0$ , the error is bounded by the first omitted term: $|R| \le |a_{N+1}| = \ldots < \epsilon$ ."

Template for Lagrange: "By Taylor's theorem, $|R_n(x)| \le M|x-c|^{n+1}/(n+1)!$ where "

Scoring Insight

Each part is typically worth 2-3 points. Justification language matters — use precise mathematical statements.

AP Question Types

Summary

The Taylor FRQ has a predictable structure: series → IOC → approx → error
Use known series when possible; compute derivatives as last resort
For error bounds: AST when alternating, Lagrange otherwise
Verify your general term reproduces the terms you wrote
Show ALL work — the AP graders need to see your reasoning

Next: Part 6 — Problem-Solving Workshop.

Series evaluation by identifying the function

Integration of series for functions with no elementary antiderivative

Next: Part 7 — Comprehensive Review.

The Six Essential Series

$\boxed{\frac{1}{1-x},\quad e^x,\quad \sin x,\quad \cos x,\quad \ln(1+x),\quad \arctan x}$

Key Fact: Taylor/Maclaurin series is the single most heavily tested BC topic. Expect 4+ MC questions and a full FRQ.

Comprehensive Review MC

Taylor & Maclaurin — Complete Summary

You've mastered:

Taylor formula — $\sum f^{(n)}(c)(x-c)^n/n!$
Computing from scratch — derivative tables
Known series manipulation — substitution, products, differentiation, integration
Lagrange error bound — $M|x-c|^{n+1}/(n+1)!$
AP FRQ strategies — the 4-part structure
Coefficient-derivative connection — $f^{(n)}(c) = n! \cdot a_n$

Up Next: Lagrange Error Bound — deeper exploration of remainder estimation.

e[1+(x−1)+2!(x−1)2+⋯]

=n=0∑∞(2n+1)!(−1)nx2n+1,all x

=n=0∑∞(2n)!(−1)nx2n,all x

=n=1∑∞n(−1)n+1xn,−1<x≤1

=n=0∑∞2n+1(−1)nx2n+1,−1≤x≤1

21∑n=0∞(2n)!(−1)n(2x)2n

[1−2x2+32x4−⋯]

M = \max|f^{(n+1)}| = \ldots

$e^x$	$e^x$	$e^{x_0}$ (or use $e^1 = 3$ as crude bound)
$\sin x$	$\pm\sin x$ or $\pm\cos x$	$M = 1$ always!
$\cos x$	$\pm\sin x$ or $\pm\cos x$	$M = 1$ always!

Taylor & Maclaurin Series

Taylor & Maclaurin Series - Complete Interactive Lesson

Part 1: Core Concepts

Taylor & Maclaurin Series — The General Formula

Taylor Series Centered at x=cx = cx=c

Maclaurin Series (Special Case: c=0c = 0c=0)

Taylor Polynomials

Example: Taylor Series for exe^xex at c=0c = 0c=0

Summary

Part 2: Worked Examples

Taylor & Maclaurin Series — Computing from Scratch

Method: Derivative Table

Part 3: Problem-Solving Patterns

Taylor & Maclaurin — Known Series & Manipulation

The Big Six (Must Memorize)

Part 4: Graphs and Interpretation

Taylor & Maclaurin — Taylor's Theorem & Remainder

Taylor's Theorem

Part 5: Applications

Taylor & Maclaurin — AP FRQ Strategies

The FRQ Taylor Series Question

Part (a) Strategy

Part 6: Exam Strategy

Taylor & Maclaurin — Problem-Solving Workshop

Workshop Focus

Workshop Takeaways

Part 7: Mixed Review

Taylor & Maclaurin — Comprehensive Review

Master Reference

Example: Taylor Series for sin⁡x\sin xsinx at c=0c = 0c=0

Example: f(x)=xf(x) = \sqrt{x}f(x)=x​ at c=4c = 4c=4

Taylor Series at Non-Zero Centers

Summary

Manipulation Toolkit

Worked Examples

Summary

The Lagrange Error Bound

Comparison of Error Bounds

Example: Bound the Error of ex≈T3(x)e^x \approx T_3(x)ex≈T3​(x) at x=0.5x = 0.5x=0.5

Common MMM Values

Summary

Part (b): Interval of Convergence

Part (c): Approximation

Part (d): Error Bound

Scoring Insight

Summary

The Six Essential Series

Taylor & Maclaurin — Complete Summary

Taylor Series Centered at $x = c$

Maclaurin Series (Special Case: $c = 0$ )

Example: Taylor Series for $e^x$ at $c = 0$

Example: Taylor Series for $\sin x$ at $c = 0$

Example: $f(x) = \sqrt{x}$ at $c = 4$

Example: Bound the Error of $e^x \approx T_3(x)$ at $x = 0.5$

Common $M$ Values