1 Successive Differentiation

The method of differentiating the same function again and again is called
successive differentation.

1.1 Notation
Consider a function y = f (x). Then, its successive derivatives are denoted by:

dy
= Dy = y ′ = f ′ (x) = y1 (1)
dx
d2 y
= D2 y = y ′′ = f ′′ (x) = y2 (2)
dx2
dn y
= Dn y = y (n) = f (n) (x) = yn (3)
dxn
D stands for the operation of differentation.

2 Standard Results
dn y
[(ax + b)m ] = n!an , m = n (4)
dxn
dn y m (−1)n · n!an
[(ax + b) ] = , m = −1 (5)
dxn (ax + b)n+1
dn y m!
[(ax + b)m ] = an (ax + b)m−n , m > n, m > 0 (6)
dxn (m − n)!
dn y (−1)n−1 · (n − 1)!an
[log e (ax + b)] = (7)
dxn (ax + b)n
n
d y mx
(a ) = amx (m log a)n (8)
dxn
dn y ax
(e ) = an eax (9)
dxn
dn y

n nπ
[sin (ax + b)] = a sin ax + b + (10)
dxn 2
n
 
d y n nπ
[cos (ax + b)] = a cos ax + b + (11)
dxn 2
n
  
d y ax b
[e sin (bx + c)] = (a2 + b2 )n/2 eax sin bx + c + n · tan−1 (12)
dxn a
dn y ax
  
2 2 n/2 ax −1 b
[e cos (bx + c)] = (a + b ) e cos bx + c + n · tan (13)
dxn a

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3 Leibnitz’s Theorem
If u and v are two functions of x and their nth order derivatives exist, then

(uv)n = n C0 un v + n C1 un−1 v1 + n C2 un−2 v2 + · · · + n Cn uvn (14)

n n!
Cr = (15)
r!(n − r)!

Some notatble results,

n
C0 = n Cn = 1 (16)
n
C1 = n (17)
n n(n − 1)
C2 = (18)
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