1. A student uses the Lagrange error bound to show that the degree-5 Maclaurin polynomial for $\sin x$ approximates $\sin(1)$ with error less than $\frac{1}{7!}$. Another student argues the bound should be $\frac{1}{6!}$. Who is correct, and why?
- A.The first student is correct: the degree-5 polynomial has remainder bounded by $\frac{|1|^7}{7!}$ because the degree-6 coefficient is zero.
- B.The second student is correct: the Lagrange bound gives $\frac{M \cdot |1|^6}{6!}$ with $M = 1$.
- C.Both are correct since $\frac{1}{6!} = \frac{1}{7!}$.
- D.Neither is correct: the bound is $\frac{1}{5!}$.
View Answer
Answer: The second student is correct: the Lagrange bound gives $\frac{M \cdot |1|^6}{6!}$ with $M = 1$.
Apply the Lagrange error bound precisely: For a degree-$n$ Taylor polynomial, $|R_n(x)| \leq \frac{M}{(n+1)!}|x-a|^{n+1}$. With $n = 5$ and $x = 1$, $a = 0$: $|R_5(1)| \leq \frac{1}{6!} \cdot 1^6 = \frac{1}{720}$. Address the first student's error: The first student jumps to the 7th-degree bound. While the $x^6$ coefficient of $\sin x$ is zero (so $P_5 = P_6$ for $\sin x$), the strict Lagrange bound for $P_5$ uses $(n+1) = 6$. The sharper bound using $P_6$ would give $\frac{1}{7!}$, but the question specifies the degree-5 polynomial. Why distractors fail: Option A confuses the degree-5 bound with the degree-6 bound (which would be valid if we explicitly stated we were using $P_6$). Option C is numerically false: $1/6! = 1/720 \neq 1/5040 = 1/7!$. Option D uses the wrong formula entirely.