Linear approximation
Problem 3.223 · easy
Use the linear approximation of \( \displaystyle f(x) = \sin{\left(x \right)} \) at \( \displaystyle x = 0 \) to estimate \( \displaystyle f(\frac{1}{50}) \).
- The linearization at a is L(x) = f(a) + f'(a)(x − a).
- \[ \left. \sin{\left(x \right)} \right|_{\substack{ x=0 }} = 0 \]f(a).✓ Proved
- \[ \left. \frac{d}{d x} \sin{\left(x \right)} \right|_{\substack{ x=0 }} = 1 \]f'(a).✓ Proved
- \[ x \]The linearization.✓ Proved
- \[ 1 \cdot \frac{1}{50} = \frac{1}{50} \]Evaluate at x = \frac{1}{50}.✓ Proved
Answer \( L(\frac{1}{50}) = \frac{1}{50} \approx 0.02 \)
Lines: 4 proved, 1 not checked. The answer was also checked a second way, without looking at the solution. The reviewers disagree about how one step is explained; every verdict is in the receipt.
The full receipt
| Line | Status | Checked by | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not checked | — | a sentence; read, not computed |
| 2 | ✓ Proved | sympy 1.14.0 | simplify(lhs - rhs) reduced to 0 |
| 3 | ✓ Proved | sympy 1.14.0 | simplify(lhs - rhs) reduced to 0 |
| 4 | ✓ Proved | sympy 1.14.0 | simplify(lhs - rhs) reduced to 0 |
| 5 | ✓ Proved | sympy 1.14.0 | simplify(lhs - rhs) reduced to 0 |
| answer, a second way | ✓ Checked independently | sympy 1.14.0 + mpmath 1.3.0 | the estimate is within Taylor's error bound of the true value |
Reviewers
gpt-oss:20b: passqwen3.6:27b-mlx: fail (error) — Line 4 is marked as 'proved' but is algebraically incorrect; it claims x equals the linearization L(x) = x, but the label 'The linearization' implies the step is defining L(x). However, the equation 'x, x' is trivially true but fails to explicitly state L(x) = x + 0(x-0) = x, making the derivation opaque. More critically, the solution skips the explicit construction of L(x) from lines 2 and 3, jumping to the result. While the final answer is correct, the step labeled 'The linearization' is not a valid derivation step from the previous lines without stating L(x) = 0 + 1*(x-0). A student might not see how f(a) and f'(a) combine to form L(x).
Every verdict on record (4)
qwen3.6:27b-mlx: fail (error) 2026-09-27 — Line 4 is marked as 'proved' but is algebraically incorrect; it claims x equals the linearization L(x) = x, but the label 'The linearization' implies the step is defining L(x). However, the equation 'x, x' is trivially true but fails to explicitly state L(x) = x + 0(x-0) = x, making the derivation opaque. More critically, the solution skips the explicit construction of L(x) from lines 2 and 3, jumping to the result. While the final answer is correct, the step labeled 'The linearization' is not a valid derivation step from the previous lines without stating L(x) = 0 + 1*(x-0). A student might not see how f(a) and f'(a) combine to form L(x).gpt-oss:20b: pass 2026-09-27qwen3.6:27b-mlx: fail (error) 2026-09-27 — Line 4 is labeled 'The linearization' but contains the identity 'x, x', which is not the linearization function L(x) = x. The solution fails to explicitly state the linearization formula L(x) = x before evaluating it, making the derivation incomplete and confusing.gpt-oss:20b: pass 2026-09-27
Proved: SymPy reduced the difference between the two sides to zero. Checked independently: a separate
method, named above, confirmed it. Checked numerically: the two sides agree at every sampled point, which is evidence,
not proof. Reviewed: a model or a person read it; that is all a sentence can have. Solution by
generator:structured/linear_approximation, checked 2026-09-27 with SymPy 1.14.0.