2.

1 Tangent Lines and Rates of Change

2.2 The Derivative Function
2.3 Introduction to Techniques of
Differentiation
2.4 The Product and Quotient Rules
2.5 Derivatives of Trigonometric
Functions
2.6 The Chain Rule
The process of finding the derivative of
a function is called DIFFERENTIATION.

dy
Sometimes , we can write as f’(x) or y’
dx

dy
dy Gradient function or slope

Derived function
dx
dx ‘ derivative of y with respect to x’
first principles
The First
The First Principle
Principle of
of Derivative
Derivative
f ( x  h)  f ( x )
f '  x   y '  lim
h 0 h
EXAMPLE

Find, from first principles, the derivative

of y with respect to x if y = x2 .
Solution
dy  f ( x  h)  f ( x ) 
 lim
h 0  
dx  h 

 ( x  h)  x 
2 2
 lim  
h0
 h 
 2 xh  ( h) 2 
 lim  
h 0
 h 
 lim  2 x  h 
h 0

= 2x
 Find, from first principles, the derivative of
y with respect to x if

a) f ( x ) = x2 + 1 , ans : 2x

b) f(x) = x 1 ans 1
:
2 x 1
EXAMPLE

If f(x) = 4x + 2x2 , find f’( x ) from

first principles and hence calculate
f’( 2 ) and f’( -2 ).
 dy  f ( x  h)  f ( x ) 
f '( x)   lim  
dx h 0  h 

 4( x  h)  2( x  h) 2  4 x  2 x 2 
 lim  
h 0
 h 

 4h  4 xh  2(h) 2
 lim  
h 0
 h 

 lim  4  4 x  2h 
h 0
Since f ' ( x )  4  4 x

then f ' ( 2)  4  4 ( 2)
 12
and

f ' (2)  4  4(2)

 4
EXAMPLE

Find the derivative with respect to x

of f ( x )  x at x = 9
 f ( x  h)  f ( x)
f '( x )  lim
h0 h

xh  x
 lim
h 0 h

 lim
 xh  x  xh  x 
h 0 h ( x  h  x)
 ( x  h)  x
 lim
h 0 h ( x   x)
h
 lim
h 0 h ( x  h  x)
1
 lim
h 0 xh  x
1

2 x
1 1 1
f ' (9)   
2 9 2(3) 6