Comprehensive Guide to Derivatives
Table of Contents
1. Introduction to Derivatives
Definition
The derivative of a function represents the rate at which the function's output changes with respect to its input. Mathematically, it's defined as:
Notations
There are several notations used to represent derivatives:
- Lagrange's Notation: \(f'(x)\), \(f''(x)\), etc.
- Leibniz's Notation: \(\frac{dy}{dx}\), \(\frac{d^2y}{dx^2}\), etc.
- Newton's Notation: \(\dot{y}\), \(\ddot{y}\), etc.
- Euler's Notation: \(Df(x)\), \(D^2f(x)\), etc.
Geometrical Interpretation
The derivative \(f'(a)\) represents the slope of the tangent line to the curve \(y = f(x)\) at the point \((a, f(a))\).
Example
Find the derivative of \(f(x) = x^2\) at \(x = 3\).
Using the power rule: \(f'(x) = 2x\)
At \(x = 3\): \(f'(3) = 2 \cdot 3 = 6\)
This means the slope of the tangent line to the curve \(y = x^2\) at the point \((3, 9)\) is 6.
2. Types of Derivatives
Basic Derivatives
Function | Derivative |
---|---|
\(c\) (constant) | \(0\) |
\(x^n\) | \(n \cdot x^{n-1}\) |
\(e^x\) | \(e^x\) |
\(a^x\) | \(a^x \ln(a)\) |
\(\ln(x)\) | \(\frac{1}{x}\) |
\(\log_a(x)\) | \(\frac{1}{x \ln(a)}\) |
Trigonometric Derivatives
Function | Derivative |
---|---|
\(\sin(x)\) | \(\cos(x)\) |
\(\cos(x)\) | \(-\sin(x)\) |
\(\tan(x)\) | \(\sec^2(x)\) |
\(\cot(x)\) | \(-\csc^2(x)\) |
\(\sec(x)\) | \(\sec(x)\tan(x)\) |
\(\csc(x)\) | \(-\csc(x)\cot(x)\) |
Inverse Trigonometric Derivatives
Function | Derivative |
---|---|
\(\arcsin(x)\) | \(\frac{1}{\sqrt{1-x^2}}\) |
\(\arccos(x)\) | \(-\frac{1}{\sqrt{1-x^2}}\) |
\(\arctan(x)\) | \(\frac{1}{1+x^2}\) |
\(\text{arccot}(x)\) | \(-\frac{1}{1+x^2}\) |
\(\text{arcsec}(x)\) | \(\frac{1}{|x|\sqrt{x^2-1}}\) |
\(\text{arccsc}(x)\) | \(-\frac{1}{|x|\sqrt{x^2-1}}\) |
Hyperbolic Derivatives
Function | Derivative |
---|---|
\(\sinh(x)\) | \(\cosh(x)\) |
\(\cosh(x)\) | \(\sinh(x)\) |
\(\tanh(x)\) | \(\text{sech}^2(x)\) |
\(\coth(x)\) | \(-\text{csch}^2(x)\) |
Example: Different Types
Find the derivatives of the following functions:
- \(f(x) = 3x^4 - 2x^2 + 5\)
- \(g(x) = \sin(2x) \cdot \cos(x)\)
- \(h(x) = \ln(x^2 + 1)\)
-
\(f'(x) = 12x^3 - 4x\)
Using the power rule for each term
-
\(g'(x) = 2\cos(2x)\cos(x) - \sin(2x)\sin(x)\)
Using the product rule: \(g'(x) = f'(x)g(x) + f(x)g'(x)\)
-
\(h'(x) = \frac{2x}{x^2 + 1}\)
Using the chain rule: \(h'(x) = \frac{1}{x^2 + 1} \cdot 2x\)
Partial Derivatives
For functions of multiple variables, a partial derivative measures the rate of change in one direction.
For a function \(f(x,y)\), the partial derivatives are denoted by:
Example: Partial Derivatives
Find the partial derivatives of \(f(x,y) = x^2y + y^3\).
\(\frac{\partial f}{\partial x} = 2xy\) (treating \(y\) as a constant)
\(\frac{\partial f}{\partial y} = x^2 + 3y^2\) (treating \(x\) as a constant)
3. Differentiation Techniques
Power Rule
For a function \(f(x) = x^n\), the derivative is:
Example: Power Rule
Find the derivative of \(f(x) = x^5\).
Using the power rule with \(n = 5\):
\(f'(x) = 5 \cdot x^{5-1} = 5x^4\)
Product Rule
For a product of two functions \(f(x) \cdot g(x)\), the derivative is:
Example: Product Rule
Find the derivative of \(f(x) = x^2 \cdot \sin(x)\).
Let \(u(x) = x^2\) and \(v(x) = \sin(x)\)
Then \(u'(x) = 2x\) and \(v'(x) = \cos(x)\)
Using the product rule:
\(f'(x) = u'(x) \cdot v(x) + u(x) \cdot v'(x)\)
\(f'(x) = 2x \cdot \sin(x) + x^2 \cdot \cos(x)\)
Quotient Rule
For a quotient of two functions \(\frac{f(x)}{g(x)}\), the derivative is:
Example: Quotient Rule
Find the derivative of \(f(x) = \frac{x^2}{\cos(x)}\).
Let \(u(x) = x^2\) and \(v(x) = \cos(x)\)
Then \(u'(x) = 2x\) and \(v'(x) = -\sin(x)\)
Using the quotient rule:
\(f'(x) = \frac{u'(x) \cdot v(x) - u(x) \cdot v'(x)}{[v(x)]^2}\)
\(f'(x) = \frac{2x \cdot \cos(x) - x^2 \cdot (-\sin(x))}{[\cos(x)]^2}\)
\(f'(x) = \frac{2x \cdot \cos(x) + x^2 \cdot \sin(x)}{[\cos(x)]^2}\)
Chain Rule
For a composite function \(f(g(x))\), the derivative is:
Example: Chain Rule
Find the derivative of \(f(x) = \sin(x^2)\).
Let \(g(x) = x^2\) and \(f(u) = \sin(u)\), so \(f(x) = f(g(x)) = \sin(g(x)) = \sin(x^2)\)
Then \(g'(x) = 2x\) and \(f'(u) = \cos(u)\)
Using the chain rule:
\(f'(x) = f'(g(x)) \cdot g'(x)\)
\(f'(x) = \cos(x^2) \cdot 2x = 2x\cos(x^2)\)
Implicit Differentiation
Implicit differentiation is used when a function is defined implicitly by an equation, rather than explicitly as \(y = f(x)\).
Example: Implicit Differentiation
Find \(\frac{dy}{dx}\) for the equation \(x^2 + y^2 = 25\).
Differentiate both sides with respect to \(x\):
\(\frac{d}{dx}(x^2 + y^2) = \frac{d}{dx}(25)\)
\(2x + 2y \cdot \frac{dy}{dx} = 0\)
Solve for \(\frac{dy}{dx}\):
\(2y \cdot \frac{dy}{dx} = -2x\)
\(\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{-2x}{2y} = \frac{-x}{y}\)
Logarithmic Differentiation
Logarithmic differentiation is useful for differentiating products, quotients, or expressions with variable exponents.
Example: Logarithmic Differentiation
Find the derivative of \(f(x) = x^x\).
Let \(y = x^x\)
Take the natural logarithm of both sides:
\(\ln(y) = \ln(x^x) = x\ln(x)\)
Differentiate both sides with respect to \(x\):
\(\frac{1}{y} \cdot \frac{dy}{dx} = \ln(x) + x \cdot \frac{1}{x} = \ln(x) + 1\)
Solve for \(\frac{dy}{dx}\):
\(\frac{dy}{dx} = y \cdot (\ln(x) + 1) = x^x \cdot (\ln(x) + 1)\)
4. Applications of Derivatives
Tangent and Normal Lines
The slope of the tangent line to a curve \(y = f(x)\) at point \((a, f(a))\) is given by \(f'(a)\).
The equation of the tangent line is:
The normal line is perpendicular to the tangent line, with slope \(-\frac{1}{f'(a)}\) (if \(f'(a) \neq 0\)).
Example: Tangent and Normal Lines
Find the equations of the tangent and normal lines to the curve \(y = x^3 - 2x + 1\) at the point where \(x = 2\).
First, find \(f(2)\):
\(f(2) = 2^3 - 2(2) + 1 = 8 - 4 + 1 = 5\)
The point is \((2, 5)\)
Next, find \(f'(x)\):
\(f'(x) = 3x^2 - 2\)
Evaluate at \(x = 2\):
\(f'(2) = 3(2)^2 - 2 = 3(4) - 2 = 12 - 2 = 10\)
The slope of the tangent line is 10
Equation of the tangent line:
\(y - 5 = 10(x - 2)\)
\(y - 5 = 10x - 20\)
\(y = 10x - 15\)
The slope of the normal line is \(-\frac{1}{10}\)
Equation of the normal line:
\(y - 5 = -\frac{1}{10}(x - 2)\)
\(y - 5 = -\frac{1}{10}x + \frac{1}{5}\)
\(y = -\frac{1}{10}x + \frac{1}{5} + 5\)
\(y = -\frac{1}{10}x + \frac{51}{10}\)
Optimization Problems
Optimization involves finding maximum or minimum values. The critical points are where \(f'(x) = 0\) or \(f'(x)\) is undefined.
Example: Optimization
Find the dimensions of a rectangle with perimeter 100 units that has the maximum area.
Let \(l\) be the length and \(w\) be the width of the rectangle.
The perimeter constraint gives us: \(2l + 2w = 100\), so \(l + w = 50\) or \(l = 50 - w\)
Area function: \(A = l \cdot w = (50 - w) \cdot w = 50w - w^2\)
To maximize, we find \(\frac{dA}{dw}\) and set it to zero:
\(\frac{dA}{dw} = 50 - 2w\)
\(50 - 2w = 0\)
\(w = 25\)
Substituting back: \(l = 50 - w = 50 - 25 = 25\)
Therefore, the rectangle with maximum area has dimensions 25 × 25, making it a square.
Related Rates
Related rates problems involve finding how one rate of change relates to another.
Example: Related Rates
Water is being poured into a conical tank at a rate of 10 cubic meters per minute. The cone has a height of 12 meters and a base radius of 6 meters. How fast is the water level rising when the water is 4 meters deep?
The volume of a cone is \(V = \frac{1}{3}\pi r^2 h\)
Due to similar triangles, when the water is at height \(h\), the radius at the surface is \(r = \frac{6}{12}h = \frac{h}{2}\)
So the volume is: \(V = \frac{1}{3}\pi (\frac{h}{2})^2 h = \frac{\pi h^3}{12}\)
We know \(\frac{dV}{dt} = 10\) and want to find \(\frac{dh}{dt}\) when \(h = 4\)
Differentiate the volume equation with respect to time:
\(\frac{dV}{dt} = \frac{\pi}{12} \cdot 3h^2 \cdot \frac{dh}{dt} = \frac{\pi h^2}{4} \cdot \frac{dh}{dt}\)
Substitute the known values:
\(10 = \frac{\pi \cdot 4^2}{4} \cdot \frac{dh}{dt}\)
\(10 = 4\pi \cdot \frac{dh}{dt}\)
\(\frac{dh}{dt} = \frac{10}{4\pi} = \frac{5}{2\pi} \approx 0.796\) meters per minute
L'Hôpital's Rule
L'Hôpital's rule is used to evaluate limits that result in indeterminate forms such as \(\frac{0}{0}\) or \(\frac{\infty}{\infty}\).
Example: L'Hôpital's Rule
Evaluate \(\lim_{x \to 0} \frac{\sin(x)}{x}\).
As \(x \to 0\), we get \(\frac{\sin(0)}{0} = \frac{0}{0}\), which is an indeterminate form.
Apply L'Hôpital's rule:
\(\lim_{x \to 0} \frac{\sin(x)}{x} = \lim_{x \to 0} \frac{\frac{d}{dx}[\sin(x)]}{\frac{d}{dx}[x]} = \lim_{x \to 0} \frac{\cos(x)}{1} = \cos(0) = 1\)
5. Interactive Quiz
Test your understanding of derivatives with this interactive quiz!
Quiz Results
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