Derivative of a Function

0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011

1
2
4
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
The average rate of change of f(x) as x varies from x = c to
x = c + h, which is given by the ratio
change in f x  f c  h   f c 

2
Rateave  
change in x


c  h  c
f c  h   f c 
1
4
h
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
The instantaneous rate of change of f(x) at x = c is determined
by finding the limiting value of the average rate as h tends to 0;
that is
f c  h   f c 

1
2
Rateins  lim rateave  lim
h 0 h 0 h

4
This limit also gives the slope of the
tangent line to the curve y = f(x)
at the point P(c, f(c)).
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
The Derivative of a Function

■ The derivative of the function f(x) with respect to x is the

function f ' x  given by

f ' x   lim
h 0
f c  h   f c 
h 1
2
4
[read f ' x  as “f prime of x]. The process of computing the
derivative is called differentiation, and we say that f(x) is
differentiable at x = c if f ' x  exists; that is, if the limit that
defines f ' x  exists when x = c .
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
EXAMPLE 1

Find the derivative of the function f x   16 x 2 .

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2
4
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
Solution
The difference quotient for f(x) is

f x  h   f x  16x  h   16 x 2
2

1
2

h h


 
16 x 2  2hx  h 2  16 x 2

4
h
16 x 2  32hx  16h 2  16 x 2

h
32hx  16h 2
  32 x  16h
h
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
Thus, the derivative of f x   16x is the function
2

f x  h   f x 
f ' x   lim
h 0 h

1
2
 lim 32 x  16h 
h 0

 32 x

4
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
Slope as a Derivative

■ The slope of the tangent line to the curve y = f(x) at the

point (c , f(c)) is mtan  f ' c .

Instantaneous Rate of Change as a Derivative

1
2
4
■ The rate of change of f(x) with respect to x when x = c is given
by f ' c .
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
EXAMPLE 2

Find the equation of the tangent line to the curve y  x 3 at the

point where x = –1.

1
2
4
 Derivative of a Function
0011Solution
0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011

According to the definition of the derivative

f x  h   f x   x  h  x3
3
f ' x   lim

2
 lim
h 0

 lim

h h 0


x 3  3x 2 h  3xh 2  h 3  x 3
h

1
4
h 0 h
3x 2 h  3xh 2  h 3
 lim
h 0 h
 
 lim 3x 2  3xh  h 2  3x 2
h 0
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
Thus, the slope of the tangent line to the curve y  x 3 at x = –1 is

f '  1  3 1  3.
2

2
To find an equation for the tangent line, we also need the y
coordinate of the point of tangency; namely,
y  x3   1  1.
3 1
Using the point – slope formula,
y   1  3x   1
y  3x  2

4
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
EXAMPLE 3
A manufacturer determines that when x thousand units of a
particular commodity are produced, the profit generated will be

Px   400 x 2  6,800 x  12,000

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2
dollars. At what rate is profit changing with respect to the level

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of production x when 9,000 units are produced?
 Derivative of a Function
Solution
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
We find that
Px  h   Px 
P' x   lim

2
h 0

1
h

 lim
  
 400x  h   6,800x  h   12,000   400 x 2  6,800 x  12,000
2

h 0 h

4
 lim
 800hx  400h 2  6800h
h 0 h
 lim  800 x  400h  6,800
h 0

 800 x  6,800
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
Thus, when the level of production is x = 9 (9,000 units), the profit
is changing at the rate of
P' 9   8009  6,800  400

1
2
dollars per thousand units.

4
 Derivative of a Function
Since P' 9  400 this means that the tangent line to the profit
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011

curve y = P(x) is sloped downward at the point Q.

Since the tangent line at Q is

1
2
sloped downward, the profit
curve must be falling at Q,
so profit must be decreasing

4
when 9,000 units are being
produced.
 Derivative of a Function

Significance of the Sign of the Derivative f ' x 

0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011

If the function f is differentiable at x = c, then

1
2
f is increasing at x = c if f ' c   0 and

f is decreasing at x = c if f ' c   0.

4
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011

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2
4
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
Derivative Notation

The derivative f ' x  of y = f(x) is sometimes written as dy or

dx

2
df (read as “dee y, dee x” or “dee f, dee x”).
dx
1
In this notation, the value of the derivative at x = c [that is, f ' c 
is written as
dy
dx x c
or
df
dx x c

4
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
EXAMPLE 4

If y  x 2 , then find dy .
dx

2
x  3

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4
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
Solution

f x  h   f x   x  h  x 2
2
dy
 lim  lim
dx h0 h h 0 h

1
2
x 2  2hx  h 2  x 2 2hx  h 2
 lim  lim
h 0 h h 0 h
 lim 2 x  h

4
h 0

 2x
dy
 6
dx x  3
 Derivative of a Function
for derivative suggests slope, y and can also
0011 0010 1010 1101 dy
0001 0100 1011
The notation
dx x
be thought of as “the rate of change of y with respect to x .”

1
2
Sometimes it is convenient to condense a statement such as

“when y  x 2 , then dy  2 x “

4
dx
which reads, “the derivative of x 2 with respect to x is 2x.”
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
EXAMPLE 5

Find the derivative of f x   x and then use it to:

1
2
a. Find the equation of the tangent line to the curve y  x
at the point where x = 4.

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b. Find the rate at whichy  x is changing with respect to x
when x = 1.
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
Solution

The derivative of y  x with respect to x is given by

 x   lim f x  hh  f x  lim x  hh 

1
2
d x
dx h 0 h 0

 x  h  x  x  h  x 

4
 lim
h 0 h x  h  x 
xhx h
 lim  lim
h 0 h   
x  h  x h 0 h x  h  x 
1 1
 lim 
h 0 xh  x 2 x
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
a. When x = 4, the corresponding y coordinate on the graph
of f x   x is y  4  2 , so the point of tangency is
P(4, 2).
Since f ' x  
1
, the slope of the tangent line to the

1
2
2 x
graph is given by f ' 4 
1 1

2 4 4

4
and by substituting into the point-slope formula, we find
that the equation of the tangent line at P is
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101
1 0001 0100 1011
y2  x  4 or
4
1
y  x 1
4

b. The rate of change of y  x when x = 1 is

1
2
4
dy 1 1
 
dx x 1 2 1 2
 Derivative of a Function
EXAMPLE
0011 0010 6 0001 0100 1011
1010 1101
A business manager determines that the cost of producing x
units of a particular commodity is C thousands of dollars,
where

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2
C x   0.04 x 2  5.1x  40
a. Find the average cost as the level of production changes

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from x = 10 to x = 11 units.

b. Use calculus to find the instantaneous rate of change of

cost with respect to production level when x = 10 and
compare with the average cost found in part (a). Is the
cost increasing or decreasing when 10 units are being
produced?
 Derivative of a Function
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011
Solution
C x2   C x1  C 11  C 10
a. Average cost  
x2  x1 11  10

1
2
100.94  95
  5.94
1
C x  h   C x 

4
b. C ' x   lim
h 0 h

 lim
 
0.04x  h   5.1x  h   40  0.04 x 2  5.1x  40
2

h 0 h
 Derivative of a Function
0.04x  h
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001
C ' x   lim
2 0100 1011
  
 5.1 x  h   40  0.04 x 2  5.1x  40
h 0 h

 lim
 
0.04 x 2  0.08hx  0.04h 2  5.1x  5.1h  40  0.04 x 2  5.1x  40 

2
h 0 h

 lim
h 0
0.08hx  h 2  5.1h

C ' x   0.08 x  5.1

h
 lim 0.08 x  h  5.1
h 0
1
C ' 10  0.0810   5.1  5.9

The cost is increasing when 10 units are being produced.