Question

How do I find the equation of the tangent line to f(x)=x^5-2x^4-3x^3+5x^2-12x+7 at the point x=a?

Answer 1

The equation for a line is y=mx+b. We know X, but need to find m (the slope). If you take the derivative of the function you posted and then set x equal to a, that will give you the slope.