• TO FIND THE DERIVATIVE OF A COMPOSITE FUNCTION, WE APPLY THE CHAIN RULE, ONE

OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPUTATIONAL THEOREMS IN CALCULUS. BEFORE STATING

THIS THEOREM, WE GIVE THREE ILLUSTRATIONS SHOWING HOW PREVIOUS THEOREMS
CAN BE USED TO DETERMINE THE DERIVATIVES OF SOME PARTICULAR COMPOSITE
FUNCTION. IN EACH ILLUSTRATION, WE WRITE THE FINAL EXPRESSION FOR THE
DERIVATIVE IN A FORM THAT MAY SEEM UNUSUAL TO YOU BUT THAT CAN BE EASILY
ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHAIN RULE.

THE DERIVATIVE OF A COMPOSITE FUNCTION AND THE CHAIN RULE

ILLUSTRATION 1

THE DERIVATIVE OF A COMPOSITE FUNCTION AND THE CHAIN RULE

ILLUSTRATION 2

THE DERIVATIVE OF A COMPOSITE FUNCTION AND THE CHAIN RULE

ILLUSTRATION 3

THE DERIVATIVE OF A COMPOSITE FUNCTION AND THE CHAIN RULE

2.8.1 THEOREM: THE CHAIN RULE

• IF THE FUNCTION 𝑔 IS DIFFERENTIABLE AT 𝑥 AND THE FUNCTION 𝑓 IS DIFFERENTIABLE

AT 𝑔 𝑥 , THEN THE COMPOSITE FUNCTION 𝑓 ∘ 𝑔 IS DIFFERENTIABLE AT 𝑥, AND
𝑓 ∘ 𝑔 ′ 𝑥 = 𝑓′ 𝑔 𝑥 𝑔′ 𝑥

THE DERIVATIVE OF A COMPOSITE FUNCTION AND THE CHAIN RULE

ILLUSTRATION 4

THE DERIVATIVE OF A COMPOSITE FUNCTION AND THE CHAIN RULE

ILLUSTRATION 5

THE DERIVATIVE OF A COMPOSITE FUNCTION AND THE CHAIN RULE

ILLUSTRATION 6

THE DERIVATIVE OF A COMPOSITE FUNCTION AND THE CHAIN RULE

EXAMPLE 5

THE DERIVATIVE OF A COMPOSITE FUNCTION AND THE CHAIN RULE