Differential

Calculus 2

Math Foundation Course

31.10.2022
 Schedule today

• Homework Discussion
• Differential Calculus 2
• Repetition
• Rules of Differentiation 2

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 Exact Gradient of Curves
• Drawing the gradient of a curve is inexact
• Whenever it is possible to draw a tangent to a curve, this will be an
approximation to the true tangent

• Mathematical technique for calculating the gradient of a function at any

point: gradient function

• Written as:

• … ‘dee y by dee x ‘

• y' … ‘y dash ‘

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 Gradient functions of some common functions

Croft & Davison (2016, p. 437)

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 Gradient function

• Given a function y = f(x) we denote its gradient function by or simply

by y’.

If y = xn then y’ = nxn-1

For example:
If y = x3 then y’ = 3x3-1 = 3x2

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 Gradient function

• When the gradient is negative, it means - the curve is falling at the

point
• When the gradient of the curve is zero , it means - the curve is neither
falling nor rising.

• When the gradient is positive, it means - the curve is rising.

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 Exercises:

1. Find the gradient of function:

a) If y = x4 then y’ = ?
b) If y = x then y’ = ?

2. Find the gradient of y = x2 at the points where

a) x = - 1
b) x = 0
c) x = 2
• What can you say about the curve at these points?

3. Use the table to find the gradient function y’ , when y is:

a) sin 2x
b) cos 3x

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 Some rules for finding
gradient functions

• It is possible to apply the formulae more widely with the addition of

three rules:

1. The first applies to the sum of two functions

2. The second - to their difference

3. The third - to a constant multiple of a function

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 Some rules for finding
gradient functions

1.

2.

3.

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 Rule 1

• To find the gradient function of a sum of two functions we simply find the two
gradient functions separately and add these together

Example:

Find the gradient function of y = x4 + x3.

The gradient function of x4 is 4x3.

The gradient function of x3 is 3x2.

Therefore, if y = x4 + x3, then y’= 4x3 + 3x2.

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 Rule 2

This rule is just an extension of Rule 1.

Example:
Find the gradient function of y = x5 – x7.

The gradient function of x5 is 5x4.

The gradient function of x7 is 7x6.

Therefore, if y = x5 – x7, then y’= 5x4 - 7x6.

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 Rule 3

Example:
Find the gradient function of y = 4x3.
This function is 4 times x3.

The gradient function of y = x3 is 3x2.

Therefore, using Rule 3, we find that: y’ = 4*(3x2) = 12x2

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 Exercises:

1. Find the derivative of y = 4x2 + 3x-3

2. Find the gradient function of y = 3x3 - 9x + 2

• Find the value of the gradient function at x = 1, x = 0 and x = - 1.

• At which of these points is the curve steepest?

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 Higher derivates

• Sometimes it is necessary to find the derivate of the gradient

function itself.

• This is termed the second derivate and is written y’’ or

• It is found by differentiating the first derivate of y, y’ using the same

techniques we used before.

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 Higher derivates

Example:
If y = x3 then y’ = 3x3-1 = 3x2

and the second derivate is found by differentiating y’:

If y’ = 3x2 then y’’ = 3*(2x) = 6x

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 Finding maximum and minimum
points of a curve

Croft & Davison (2016, p. 444)

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 Finding maximum and minimum
points of a curve

• At the points A, B, C and D the gradient is zero.

• They are known as the stationary points.

• A is a maximum.
• C is a minimum.
• B and D are points of inflexion.
(at these points the slope is zero)

Croft & Davison (2016, p. 444)

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 Finding maximum and minimum
points of a curve

• Because at all this points the gradient is zero, they can be located by looking
for the values of x that make the gradient function zero.

• So: stationary points are located by setting the gradient function equal to
zero, that is :
y’ = 0

Croft & Davison (2016, p. 444)

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 Finding the nature of a stationary point by looking
at the gradient on either side

Minimum
- +
0

Maximum + -
0

+ -
Point of inflexion + -
0 0

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 Test for maximum and minimum

• If y’’ is positive at the stationary point, the point is a minimum.

• If y’’ is negative at the stationary point, the point is a maximum.

• If y’’ is zero at the stationary point, use the previous method: Find the
nature of a stationary point by looking at the gradient on either side.

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 Example: Finding Stationary Point

• Find the stationary points of

y = 2x3 – 6x2 – 18x

• First step – we calculate the gradient function:

y’ = 6x2 – 12x – 18
• At a stationary point y’ = 0, so the equation that must be solved is:
6x2 – 12x – 18 = 0
• Factorising:
6 (x2 – 2x – 3) = 0
6 (x + 1) (x – 3) = 0
→So that x = - 1 and 3
→At these values y = 10 and y = - 54 respectively
• We now find their nature:
• When x = - 1, we calculate the gradient of the graph a little to the left ( x = - 2) and a little
to the right ( x = 0)
• When x = 3, we calculate the gradient of the graph a little to the left ( x = 2) and a
little to the right ( x =4)

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 Curve sketching - Summary

• If you have to find zero points:

• Set the function equal to zero
• You get x-coordinates of the zero points, substitute them into the function and
get y-coordinates

• If you have to find the stationary points (maximum, minimum):

• Set the first derivate of the function equal to zero
• You get x-coordinates of the stationary points, substitute them into the function
and get y-coordinates

• If you have to test for maximum, minimum:

• Calculate the second derivate

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 Differentiation: The
product rule

• Products of functions occur when one function is multiplied by another.

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 Differentiation: The product rule
– Example

Example 1: Differentiate:

y=x2 *(3x-1)

y’=2x * (3x-1)+x2 * 3
y’=6x2-2x+3x2
y’=9x2-2x
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 Differentiation: The product rule
– Example

Example 2: Differentiate:

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 Differentiation: The quotient rule

• Using the quotient rule we can differentiate quotients of functions. A quotient is

formed when one function is divided by another.

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 Differentiation: The quotient rule - Example

Example: Differentiate:

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 Differentiation: The chain rule - Example

• Sometimes we will come across a function y (x) , say, where the variable x is itself a
function of another variable, t, say. So, we have y = y(x) and x = x(t).

• The chain rule enables us to differentiate a function of a function

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 Differentiation: The chain
rule - Example

Example 2: Differentiate:

Example 1: Differentiate:

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 Don’t forget:

• Homework 5 until Monday, 07.11

→Homework & Guidelines Homework Assignments on Moodle

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 Literature

• Croft, A. & Davison, R. (2016). Foundation maths (6th ed.).

Harlow: Pearson.
• Glossary
• Link collection

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 Thank you for joining us!

Contact:
Ludmila.tibulschi@modul.ac.at
Anna.burton@modul.ac.at
Modul University Vienna GmbH
Am Kahlenberg 1, 1190 Vienna
www.modul.ac.at