S6MA5 Differentiation
Unit6
1. Derivative at a point:
(a) Average rate of change:
The average rate of change in 𝑓(𝑥) from 𝑥 = 𝑎 to 𝑦 = 𝑏 = 𝑎 + ℎ is
𝑓(𝑏) − 𝑓(𝑎) 𝑓(𝑎 + ℎ) − 𝑓(𝑎)
=
𝑏−𝑎 ℎ
It’s the gradient of the chord [𝐴𝐵].
When the curve is that of the distance of an object in terms of the time,
the average rate of change from 𝑡 to 𝑡 is the average speed of this
object between 𝑡 and 𝑡
Example: Find the rate of change in each function from 𝐴 to 𝐵:
(b) Instantaneous rate of change:
As we can see using GeoGebra, if we move B closer and closer to A, the chord
[𝐴𝐵] is approaching the tangent to the curve at 𝐴. The rate of change approaches
the instantaneous rate of change, which is the gradient (or slope) of the tangent.
When the function is the position of an object In terms of the time, the
instantaneous rate of change is the instantaneous velocity of the object.
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Example:
Example of the function 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒙𝟐 :
Draw the tangent to the graph at 𝑥 = −1, 𝑥 = 1 and 𝑥 = 2.
Hence, read the values of the instantaneous rate of change at these three points:
(c) Gradient of a tangent:
As 𝐵 moves closer to 𝐴, 𝑏 tends to 𝑎 or ℎ tends to 0.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Hence, when it exists, the limit of the average rate of change as 𝑏tends to 𝑎 or the limit of as ℎ
tends to 0 is the gradient of the tangent.
Note that vertical tangent don’t have a gradient, and so that property won’t hold in this case
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We say that a function 𝑓 is differentiable at 𝑥 = 𝑎 when the following limit exists and is a real number:
𝑓(𝑏) − 𝑓(𝑎) 𝑓(𝑎 + ℎ) − 𝑓(𝑎)
lim = lim
→ 𝑏−𝑎 ℎ
In that case, that value is called 𝒇′(𝒂) and it is the gradient of the tangent to the graph of 𝑓 at 𝑥 = 𝑎.
𝑓′(𝑎) is read “𝑓 prime of 𝑎” or 𝑓 dashed of 𝑎”
When that limit doesn’t exist, the function is not differentiable at 𝑎 and the tangent doesn’t exist
or is vertical.
Three commons ways for a derivative to fail to exist are shown below:
The 𝑓′(𝑥) notation for this limit was developed by Joseph Louis Lagrange, a French Mathematician (1736-
1813). When we use this limit to determine the derivative of a function, it is called determining the
derivative from first principles.
Examples:
Calculate 𝑓′(2) for 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 and 𝑔′(1) for 𝑔(𝑥) = 𝑥
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Find the formula for 𝑓′(𝑎) when 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 and 𝑔′(𝑎) when 𝑔(𝑥) = 𝑥
Show that the absolute value function 𝑓(𝑥) = |𝑥| is not differentiable at
𝑥=0
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(d) Equation of a tangent:
Consider a function 𝑓 that is differentiable at a point 𝑥 = 𝑎. The equation of the
tangent to the graph of 𝑓 at 𝑥 = 𝑎 is 𝑦 = 𝑓 (𝑎)(𝑥 − 𝑎) + 𝑓(𝑎).
Examples: Using the examples above, give the equation of the tangent to the square function at 𝑎 = 2 and to the
cube function at 𝑎 = 1.
(e) Using your calculator:
Your calculator can give you the slope of the tangent, not the derivative function 𝑖𝑒 it can calculate 𝑓′(𝑎) for a given
𝑎 but not the expression of 𝑓′(𝑥).
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2. First derivative of a function:
(a) First principle of derivative:
The derivative function 𝑓 of a function 𝑓 is defined as:
𝑓(𝑥 + ℎ) − 𝑓(𝑥)
𝑓 (𝑥) = lim
→ ℎ
The domain of 𝑓′ is the set of 𝑥-values for which this limit exists. It’s a subset of the domain of 𝑓.
Examples:
Calculate 𝑓′(𝑥) for 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥
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Calculate 𝑔′(𝑥) for 𝑔(𝑥) =
(b) Leibniz notation:
If we are given 𝑓(𝑥), then 𝑓 (𝑥) represents the derivative function.
If we are given 𝑦 in terms of 𝑥, then we use the Leibniz notation to
represent the derivative.
It is read 𝑑𝑦 by 𝑑𝑥 or the derivative of 𝑦 with respect to 𝑥.
is not a fraction, but is is the result of taking the limit of a fraction:
𝑓(𝑥 + ℎ) − 𝑓(𝑥) 𝛿𝑦 𝑑𝑥
𝑓 (𝑥) = lim = lim =
→ ℎ → 𝛿𝑥 𝑑𝑦
(c) Derivatives of the basic functions:
Domain of
Function Derivative function
differentiability
𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑘 𝑓′(𝑥) = 0 ℝ
𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 𝑓′(𝑥) = 1 ℝ
𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 𝑓 (𝑥) = 2𝑥 ℝ
𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 with 𝑛 ∈ ℚ 𝑓′(𝑥) = 𝑛𝑥 ℝ
1 1
𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑓′(𝑥) = − 𝑥≠0
𝑥 𝑥
1
𝑓(𝑥) = √𝑥 𝑓′(𝑥) = ]0; +∞[
2√𝑥
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𝑓(𝑥) = sin(𝑥) 𝑓′(𝑥) = cos(𝑥) ℝ
𝑓(𝑥) = cos(𝑥) 𝑓′(𝑥) = −sin(𝑥) ℝ
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𝑓(𝑥) = tan(𝑥) 𝑓′(𝑥) = = 1 + tan 𝑥 cos(𝑥) ≠ 0
cos²(𝑥)
𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑒 𝑓′(𝑥) = 𝑒 ℝ
1
𝑓(𝑥) = ln(𝑥) 𝑓′(𝑥) = ]0; +∞[
𝑥
𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎 𝑓′(𝑥) = ln(𝑎) × 𝑎 ℝ
1 1
𝑓(𝑥) = log (𝑥) 𝑓′(𝑥) = × ]0; +∞[
ln(𝑎) 𝑥
Note: the derivative of a constant function is 0, as no change occurs between the images of to different 𝑥 values,
and hence the rate of change is zero.
3. Rules of differentiation:
(a) Sum and product:
Consider two functions 𝑢 and 𝑣 both differentiable on an interval 𝐼.
Then the functions defined by 𝑘 ∙ 𝑢 (for any real number 𝑘), 𝑢 + 𝑣, 𝑢 − 𝑣 and 𝑢 × 𝑣 are
differentiable on 𝐼 and their derivatives can be found using the following rules:
(𝑘 ∙ 𝑢) = 𝑘 ∙ 𝑢′
(𝑢 + 𝑣) = 𝑢 + 𝑣′
(𝑢 − 𝑣) = 𝑢 − 𝑣′
(𝑢 × 𝑣) = 𝑢 ∙ 𝑣 + 𝑢 ∙ 𝑣′
Examples: Determine the derivative functions of the following functions (disregard the domains):
𝑓(𝑥) = 3𝑥 − 6𝑥 − 𝑥 + 7𝑥 + 1
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𝑔(𝑥) = +5
𝑥
ℎ(𝑥) = 𝑥 cos(𝑥)
𝑡(𝑥) = 5𝑥 √𝑥 + 8𝑥
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(b) Quotient and reciprocal:
Consider two functions 𝑢 and 𝑣 both differentiable on an interval 𝐼 such that 𝑣(𝑥) ≠ 0 for all 𝑥 ∈ 𝐼.
Then the functions defined by and are differentiable on 𝐼 and their derivatives can be found using the
following rules:
1 𝑢
=−
𝑢 𝑢
𝑢 𝑢 𝑣 − 𝑢𝑣
=
𝑣 𝑣
Examples: Determine the derivative functions of the following functions (disregard the domains):
1
𝑓(𝑥) =
𝑥
3
𝑔(𝑥) =
4𝑥 + 1
2𝑥 − 1
ℎ(𝑥) =
4 − 6𝑥
−2𝑥 + 𝑥
𝑘(𝑥) =
𝑥 − 3𝑥 + 2
sin 𝑥
𝑡(𝑥) =
cos 𝑥
(c) Chain rule:
Consider two functions 𝑢 differentiable on an interval 𝐼 and 𝑣 differentiable on 𝐽 such that 𝑢(𝑥) ∈ 𝐽 for all 𝑥 ∈ 𝐼.
Then the function defined by 𝑣 ∘ 𝑢 is differentiable on 𝐼 and its derivative can be found using the following rule:
(𝑣 ∘ 𝑢) = 𝑢′ × (𝑣 ∘ 𝑢)
In particular :
(𝑢 ) = 𝑛𝑢 𝑢
𝑢
√𝑢 =
2√𝑢
(cos 𝑢) = 𝑢 sin 𝑢
(sin 𝑢) = −𝑢 cos 𝑢
𝑢
(tan 𝑢) =
cos 𝑢
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Examples: Determine the derivative functions of the following functions (disregard the domains):
𝑓(𝑥) = (3𝑥 + 2)
𝑔(𝑥) = √4𝑥 − 3𝑥 + 1
ℎ(𝑥) = cos(5𝑥 + 3)
𝑘(𝑥) = sin 𝑥
The chain rule written with Leibniz notation goes as follows:
𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑢
= ×
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑢 𝑑𝑥
Examples: Find if:
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𝑦 = (𝑥 − 2𝑥) 𝑦=
√1 − 2𝑥
(f) Problems with tangents:
From past years, you may remember that:
Two (non-vertical) lines are parallel iff they have the same gradient (slope).
Two (none of them vertical) lines are perpendicular iff the product of their gradients is −1.
And also, the gradient of horizontal lines is 0.
Using (or not) these reminders, solve the following questions:
At what point on the graph of 𝑦 = 𝑥 − 4𝑥 − 5 is the tangent parallel to 2𝑥 − 𝑦 = 1? (to avoid tedious
working out, given is the derivative = 2𝑥 − 4)
Determine the equation of both lines that are tangent to the graph of 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 and pass through point
(1, −3).
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4. Second derivative:
For a function 𝑓, the derivative 𝑓′ or if 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥) is in fact the first derivative.
The second derivative of 𝑓 is noted 𝑓′′(𝑥) or .
𝑓′′ is the rate of change of 𝑓′ with respect to 𝑥.
𝑓′′ is read 𝑓 second or f double dashed and is read 𝑑 two 𝑦 by 𝑑𝑥 squared or 𝑑𝑥 two
Examples: Find the second derivative of 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 cos 𝑥 + and 𝑔(𝑥) = cos 𝑥
In kinematics, if 𝑠(𝑡) is the displacement of an object in terms of the time, 𝑠′(𝑡) is the velocity of the
object and 𝑠′′(𝑡) is the acceleration of the object.
Example:
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In the syllabus:
In the booklet:
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