Derivatives Essay Part 1 Finding the derivative of a function is finding the rate of change (ROC) of the function.

ROC is just another name for slope, which we know is change in y over change in x. Average ROC is the ROC over an interval, or the slope of the secant line that intersects the function at the endpoints of the interval. As the interval defining average ROC gets smaller and smaller, the change in yvalues and change in x-values becomes zero. Thus, a single point is defined by the infinitely small interval. So, the secant line becomes a tangent line that only intersects the graph at a single point. The slope of this tangent line is called instantaneous ROC at that specific x-value of f(x). When given a table of values: You can find the average ROC between two points by using the slope formula ((y2-y1)/(x2-x1)). When given a graph: You can find average ROC by using the graph to find the corresponding y-values of the x-values described by the interval, then plugging them into the slope formula above. You can find instantaneous ROC at a specific x/value by drawing a line tangent to the graph at that point, pick two points on the tangent line, and then plug them into the slope formula above. To sketch the derivative of a graph, make a table of values of x-values and the slope of f(x) at these points. Then graph the points in the table of values using the slopes as y-coordinates. (ex.3) When given a function: To find average ROC, use the function to solve for the corresponding y-values of the x-values described by the interval. Then, plug them into the slope formula above. You can find instantaneous ROC at a specific x/value many different ways: 1) Use limits. Recall that to go from average ROC to instantaneous ROC, you must make the interval defining average ROC gets smaller and smaller so that the change in y-values and change in x-values becomes zero. So, you can think of instantaneous ROC as the limit of change in y over change in x as the change approaches zero. Formally, we say the point at which were trying to find instantaneous ROC is (xo,f(x0)) and the point getting infinitely closer is (xo+h,f(xo+h)). To show that h is getting infinitely smaller, we say the limit as h approaches zero right before the slope formula. We end up with

2) Using the same logic above, we can express the derivative of a function as f(x)-f(c) lim --------- = f'(c). Where x and c are endpoints of the interval describing the secant line. x->c xc 3) If you are given a function with an exponent where a variable is the base, use the power rule: F(x)=x^n, f(x)=n*x^(n-1). In English, multiply the exponent of the x times the coefficient and subtract 1 from the original exponent. The power rule comes from the limit definition of derivatives above, except you use the point (x^n,f(x^n)) and the point an h distance away ((x+h)^n,f((x+h)^n))

4) If you are given a function with a product of two functions, like f(x)=5x3x^2, Use the product rule: . This rule also comes from the limit definition of derivatives above, except you use the point (x,f(x)g(x)) and the point an h distance away (x+h,f(x+h)g(x+h)). 5) If you are given a function that divides two functions, like f(x)=(5x)/(4x^2) Use the quotient

rule: . This rule also comes from the limit definition of derivatives above, except you use the point (x,f(x)/g(x)) and the point an h distance away (x+h,f(x+h)/g(x+h)). 6) If you are given a function that has a function within a function, like f(x)=(2x+3)^5, use the chain rule: , which is basically using the power rule on the outside then the inside. This rule also comes from the limit definition of derivatives above, except you use the point (g(x),f(g(x))) and the point an h distance away (g(x+h),f(g(x+h))) 7) If you are given a function with a trig function in it, substitute using these formulas:

. So, if you have to differentiate f(x)=tan(x), you would get f(x)=sec^2(x). These rules also comes from the limit definition of derivatives above, except you use the point (trig(x),f(trig(x))) and the point an h distance away (trig(x+h),f(trig(x+h))) 8) If you are given an equation that is not a function, find the derivative implicitly. Since y symbolically represents a function of x, we treat y as f(x) and then find the derivative of both sides of the equation in terms of x. Then, solve for f(x). Make sure to derive f(x) using chain rule. 9) If you are asked to find the derivative of the inverse of a function, you first have to find g(x) by switching the xs and ys in the function, as well as the domain and range. Then, use

. This comes from the defining property of g(x), which is g(f(x)) = x and f(g(x)) = x. The derivative of the right hand side of both equations is 1. For the derivative of the left hand side, we use the chain rule. Then we solve for g(x). 9.5) If you are given an inverse trig functions, multiply both sides of the equation by the corresponding trig expression. Then differentiate implicitly. Draw triangles of the original function so you can use the derivative-of-trig-function-formulas above. You draw these triangles by placing y, x, and 1 on the sides or interior angle of the triangle according to the relationship described in the function. Then you use Pythagorean Theorem to solve for the missing side. You

end up getting these formulas:

10) If you are given an exponential function with a constant as a base, take the natural log of both sides first.

11) If you are given a natural log, use This rule comes from implicitly differentiating y=lnx. We say that e^lnx=e^y, x=e^y, e^y(y)=1, y=1/e^y, , y=1/e^(lnx), y=1/x

12) For e^x functions, use . This rule also comes from the limit definition of derivatives above, except you use the point (e^x,f(e^x)) and the point an h distance away (e^(x+h),f(e^(x+h))) You can use properties of logs to simplify things: when given a fraction to derive, take the natural log of both sides, which can be written as a difference of logs. Also use the exponent and multiplication properties. Remember chain rule with ln(x). 13) For a parametric equation: recall that parametric equations break up rectangular equations into movement along the x-axis and movement along the y-axis. Each parametric equation has the parameter t for time. You can eliminate the parameter by solving the equations for t and setting them equal to each other. For any curve in the xy -plane, the slope of the tangent line is the derivative dy/dx (whether described parametrically or not). But for a parametric curve, y is not given explicitly as a function of x. What we CAN do is find the derivative of y with respect to t and the derivative of x with respect to t. Once we do this, we divide dy/dt by dx/dt so that the

dts cancel and we end up with dy/dx. For the second derivative, use , because were trying to find the derivative of dy/dx with respect to t. However, dy/dx is in terms of x, so we divide d/dx by dx/dt to cancel the dxs and get d/dt. You can keep dx/dt and dy/dt separate to solve for vectors. Vectors describe how fast the particle is moving or accelerating on each axis. So dx/dt is the velocity of the particle on the x-axis and dy/dt is the velocity on the y-axis. A graph of dy/dx describes the same velocity of the particle, but you can see the motion of the particle in the x/plane instead of along each independent axis. 14) For polar equations: recall that polar coordinates are an alternative system of labeling points P in the plane. Instead of specifying the x and y coordinates, coordinates are defined as (r, ), where r is the distance from P to the origin O and is the angle between and the positive x-axis. Again, for any curve in the xy -plane, the slope of the tangent line is

the derivative dy/dx (whether described in polar equations or not). To find the derivative of polar equations, write a parameterization of the polar equation using:

These come from making triangles on the graph of the function, where r is the hypotenuse, x is the horizontal distance from the origin, and y is the vertical distance from the origin. Graphing the equation in both rectangular and polar helps! There are also things called higher order derivatives. This just means finding the derivative of the derivative a certain number of times. So the second derivative of f(x) is the derivative of f(x), called f (x). Some functions are non-differentiable. If you cant draw a tangent line at the x-value, f(x) is not differentiable at that point. (ex.12) If you can draw a million different tangent lines at the xvalue, f(x) is not differentiable at that point. (ex.12.51) Also, if the limit of the derivative from the left of an x-value does not equal the limit of the derivative from the right of an x-value, it is not differentiable. (ex.13) This being said, we know that: 1) derivative DNE at a removable discontinuity (ex.12) 2) derivative DNE at a jump discontinuity (ex.13) 3) derivative DNE if f(x) approaches plus or minus infinity as x approaches the particular xvalue (ex.14) 4) derivative DNE at a cusp in f(x) (ex.15) A cusp is a point at which the direction of the curve changes abruptly. 5) derivative DNE if f(x) is not defined on one side of the particular x-value (ex.16) If the derivative exists at every value for a function, then f(x) is continuous. This DOES NOT MEAN that a continuous function is always differentiable (functions with a cusp are continuous, but not differentiable at the cusp).

Part 2 1) The Product Rule:

2) The Chain Rule:

3) The derivative of trig functions:

4) The derivative of inverse trig functions:

Part 3 Newtons Method is a way to find an approximation of the zeros of a function. We find the x-int of the tangent line at an x-value close to the zero. Then, we plug in the x-int into the function and find the tangent line at that point. Repeating the process, we get closer and closer to the zero.

Formula: Point slope formula: y-y1=m(x-x1) Formula of tangent line of f(x): y-f(x)=f(x)(x-x1) Formula of tangent line at Xo: y-f(Xo)=f(Xo)(x-Xo) x-int of tangent line at Xo: 0-f(Xo)= f(Xo)(x-Xo) x=Xo-f(Xo)/f(Xo) Use this x as your next X1, and that x as X2, etc until your x-int keeps repeating We can use Newtons method to solve roots.