3.

5 The Chain Rule

We now have a pretty good list of “shortcuts” to find
derivatives of simple functions.

Of course, many of the functions that we will encounter

are not so simple. What is needed is a way to combine
derivative rules to evaluate more complicated functions.


Consider a simple composite function:
y  6 x  10 y  6 x  10 y  2u u  3x  5
y  2  3x  5
dy dy du
6 2 3
If u  3x  5 dx du dx
then y  2u
6  23

dy dy du
 
dx du dx


 and another:
y  5u  2 y  5  3t   2 y  5u  2 u  3t

where u  3t y  15t  2
then y  5  3t   2
dy dy du
 15 5 3
dt du dt

15  5  3

dy dy du
 
dt du dt

 and one more:
y  9x  6x  1
2
y  9 x2  6 x  1 y  u2 u  3x  1

y   3 x  1
2

dy dy du
If u  3x  1  18 x  6  2u 3
dx du dx
then y  u 2
dy
 2  3 x  1
du
dy
 6x  2
du

18 x  6   6 x  2   3
This pattern is called
the chain rule. dy dy du
 
dx du dx 
 dy dy du
Chain Rule:  
dx du dx

If f  g is the composite of y  f  u  and u  g  x  ,

then:

 f  g    f at u  g  x   g at x
example: f  x   sin x g  x   x2  4 Find:  f  g   at x  2

f   x   cos x g  x   2x g  2  4  4  0

f   0  g  2
cos  0    2  2 
1 4  4

We could also do it this way:

f  g  x    sin  x 2  4 
dy
y  sin  x  4 
2  cos  x 2  4   2 x
dx
y  sin u u  x2  4
dy
dy du  cos  22  4   2  2
 cos u  2x dx
du dx
dy
 cos  0   4
dy dy du dx
 
dx du dx
dy dy
 cos u  2 x 4
dx dx

 Here is a faster way to find the derivative:

y  sin  x 2  4 

d 2
y  cos  x  4    x  4 
2
Differentiate the outside function...
dx

y  cos  x 2  4   2 x …then the inside function

At x  2, y  4


Another example:
d
cos 2  3 x 
dx
d
cos  3x  
2

dx It looks like we need to

use the chain rule again!
d
2 cos  3 x    cos  3 x 
dx

derivative of the
outside function
derivative of the
inside function

 Another example:
d
cos 2  3 x 
dx
d
cos  3x  
2

dx
d
2 cos  3 x    cos  3 x 
dx
d The chain rule can be used
2 cos  3 x    sin  3 x    3 x  more than once.
dx
2 cos  3x   sin  3 x   3 (That’s what makes the
“chain” in the “chain rule”!)
6 cos  3 x  sin  3 x 

 Derivative formulas include the chain rule!

d n n 1 du d du
u  nu sin u  cos u
dx dx dx dx

d du d du
cos u   sin u tan u  sec u
2

dx dx dx dx

etcetera…

The formulas on the memorization sheet are written with u

du
instead of u term!
. Don’t forget to include the
dx

 The most common mistake on the chapter 3 test is to
forget to use the chain rule.

Every derivative problem could be thought of as a chain-

rule problem:

d 2 d
x  2 x x  2 x 1  2x
dx dx

derivative of The derivative of x is one.

outside function
derivative of
inside function 
 The chain rule enables us to find the slope of
parametrically defined curves:

dy dy dx
  dx
dt dx dt Divide
Theboth sides
slope of aby
parametrized
curve is given by:
dt
dy
dy
dt  dy
dy
dx dx  dt
dx dx
dt
dt


Example: x  3cos t y  2sin t

These are the equations for

an ellipse.

dx dy dy 2 cos t 2
 3sin t  2 cos t    cot t
dt dt dx 3sin t 3
Don’t forget to use the chain rule!