DIFFERENTIATION

Objective
 Define differentiation
 Justify the rules of differentiating
 To differentiate functions using the
power rule, constant rule, constant
multiple rule, and sum and difference
rules.
 The Derivative is …
 Used to find the “slope” of a function at a point.

 Used to find the “slope of the tangent line” to the

graph of a function at a point.

 Used to find the “instantaneous rate of change”

of a function at a point.

 Computed by finding the limit of the difference

quotient as ∆x approaches 0. (Limit Definition)
 Notations for the
Derivative of a Function
“f prime of x”

“y prime”

“the derivative of y with respect to x”

is a noun.

is a verb. “Take the derivative with respect to x…”

 Rules for Differentiation
 Differentiation
is the process of
computing the derivative of a function.

You may be asked to:

 Differentiate.

 Derive.
 Find the derivative of…
 The Power Rule
𝑑 𝑛 𝑛−1
𝑥 =𝑛 𝑥
𝑑𝑥
𝑑
𝑥=1
𝑑𝑥
 The Constant Rule

 Thederivative of a constant function is

zero.
 The Constant Multiple Rule

The derivative of a constant times a

function is equal to the constant
times the derivative of the function.
The Sum and Difference Rules

The derivative of a sum is the sum of the derivatives.

The derivative of a difference is the difference of the derivatives.

Let’s have a break!
 Let’s have a break!

What has to be
broken before you
can use it?
 Let’s have a break!

What can you break,

even if you never
pick it up or touch it?
 What rule is applied?
 Find the derivative of:
1.

2.
 What rule is applied?
 Differentiate:

3. 4.

5.
 What rule is applied?
 Find the derivative of:
6.
 What rule is applied?
 Find the derivative of:
7.
 What rule is applied?
 Find the derivative of:
8.
Let’s have a break!
Let’s have a break!

Image here
Let’s have a break!

Image here
Rewriting Before Differentiating
Function Rewrite Differentiate Simplify
Rewriting Before Differentiating
Function Rewrite Differentiate Simplify
Rewriting Before Differentiating
Function Rewrite Differentiate Simplify
Rewriting Before Differentiating
Function Rewrite Differentiate Simplify
Let’s have a break!

Spot the Difference

Let’s have a break!

Image here
Let’s have a break!

Image here
 Sum & Difference Rules
 Differentiate:

9.

10.
 Conclusion
 Notations for the derivative:

 The derivative of a constant is zero.

 To find the derivative of f (x) = xN
1. Pull a copy of the exponent out in
front of the term.
2. Subtract one from the exponent.
Let’s do more differentiating
next time?