Scribd
Upload
1K views

Differentiation From First Principles

The document discusses differentiation from first principles, which is the process of determining the derivative of a function by using the definition of a derivative. It provides the definition and formula for calculating derivatives from first principles. Several worked examples are shown step-by-step to demonstrate how to use the formula to find derivatives. Notation for derivatives is also explained. The document concludes by deriving rules for differentiation from the first principles approach to make calculating derivatives simpler.

Uploaded by

Paula Fana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
1K views

Differentiation From First Principles

The document discusses differentiation from first principles, which is the process of determining the derivative of a function by using the definition of a derivative. It provides the definition and formula for calculating derivatives from first principles. Several worked examples are shown step-by-step to demonstrate how to use the formula to find derivatives. Notation for derivatives is also explained. The document concludes by deriving rules for differentiation from the first principles approach to make calculating derivatives simpler.

Uploaded by

Paula Fana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 8

DIFFERENTIATION FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES

Differentiation from first principles (EMCH6)


We know that the gradient of the tangent to a curve with equation at can be
determine using the formula:

We can use this formula to determine an expression that describes the gradient of the graph (or the
gradient of the tangent to the graph) at any point on the graph. This expression (or gradient function)
is called the derivative.
DEFINITION
Derivative
The derivative of a function is written as and is defined by:

Differentiation
The process of determining the derivative of a given function.

This method is called differentiation from first principles or using the definition.
WORKED EXAMPLES
1: DIFFERENTIATION FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES
Calculate the derivative of from first principles.
SOLUTION
Step1.
Write down the formula for finding the derivative using first principles

Step2.
Determine

Step3.
1
Substitute into the formula and simplify

Step 4: Write the final answer


The derivative

NOTATION
There are a few different notations used to refer to derivatives. It is very important that you learn to
identify these different ways of denoting the derivative and that you are consistent in your usage of
them when answering questions.
If we use the common notation , where the dependent variable is and the independent
variable is , then some alternative notations for the derivative are as follows:

[ ]

The symbols D and are called differential operators because they indicate the operation of

differentiation.

means differentiated with respect to . Similarly, means differentiated with respect to .

IMPORTANT: is not a fraction and does not mean .

2. : DIFFERENTIATION FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES


a) Find the derivative of from first principles.
b) Determine and interpret the answer.
SOLUTION
Step1. Write down the formula for finding the derivative using first principles

Step2. Determine ;

Step3. Substitute into the formula and simplify

2
Step 4: Calculate and interpret the answer
The derivative
 The gradient of the function at is equal to 3.
 The gradient of the tangent to at is equal to 3

3: DIFFERENTIATION FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES

Calculate from first principles if

SOLUTION
Step1.
Write down the formula for finding the derivative using first principles

Step2. Determine

( )

Step3. Substitute into the formula and simplify

[ ( )] [ ] [ ]

Notice: even though h remains in the denominator, we can take the limit since it does not result in

division by 0.

Step 4: Write the final answer

3
4. DIFFERENTIATION FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES

Differentiate from first principles and interpret the answer.

SOLUTION
Step1.
Write down the formula for finding the derivative using first principles

Step2.
Determine

Step3.
Substitute into the formula and simplify

Step 4: Interpret the answer


The gradient of is equal to 0 at any point on the graph. The derivative of this constant function is
equal to 0.

4
EXERCISES
1. Given

a. Determine

b. Hence, determine

c. Explain the meaning of your answer in (b).

2. Find the derivative of using first principles.


3. Determine the derivative of using first principles.
4. Determine from first principle if .
5. If , determine using first principles.
6. Find the derivative of using first principles.
7. Differentiate using first principles.

5
Rules for differentiation
Determining the derivative of a function from first principles requires a long calculation and it
is easy to make mistakes. However, we can use this method of finding the derivative from first
principles to obtain rules which make finding the derivative of a function much simpler.

6
RULES FOR DIFFERENTIATION

 General rule for differentiation:

[ ] , where and .

 The derivative of a constant is equal to zero.

[ ]

 The derivative of a constant multiplied by a function is equal to the constant multiplied


by the derivative of the function

[ ] [ ]

 The derivative of a sum is equal to the sum of the derivatives.

[ ] [ ] [ ]

 The derivative of a difference is equal to the difference of the derivatives.

[ ] [ ] [ ]

7
EXAMPLE: RULES OF DIFFERENTIATION

Use the rules of differentiation to find the derivative of each of the following:

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

SOLUTION

Step 1:

Apply the appropriate rules to determine the derivative

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

You might also like