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1.5 Differentiation Techniques: The Power and Sum-Difference Rules
LEIBNIZ NOTATION
So far we’ve been using the notation f 0 (x) for the derivative of a function f (x), a notation which
was introduced by Sir Isaac Newton. The German mathematician Wilhelm Gottfried Leibniz used the
dy
alternative notation for the derivative. Both notations are used today and each has advantages in
dx
certain situations. The derivative of a function y = f (x) can be written in either form
dy
f 0 (x) = .
dx
d
The symbol is called a differentiation operator. When placed in front of a function, it means
dx
“the derivative of what comes after it with respect to x.” Therefore
d £ §
f (x) means “the derivative of f (x) with respect to x.”
dx
d 2
For instance, (x ) means the derivative of x2 with respect to x, so
dx
d 2
(x ) = 2x.
dx
To specify the derivative at a specific number x = a, we write
Ø
dy ØØ
f 0 (a) in Newton’s notation or in Leibniz’ notation
dx Øx=a
THE POWER RULE
In the previous section, we showed that
d 2 d 3
(x ) = 2x and (x ) = 3x2 .
dx dx
These are special cases of the following general differentiation rule:
1
b) y =
x4
√
c) y = x
19
20 Chapter 1 Differentiation
µ ∂
d 2
b)
dx 3x5
EXAMPLE For a spherical tumor, its volume V can be approximated by V (r) = 43 πr3 , where r is
the radius of the tumor, in centimeters.
a) Find the rate of change of the volume with respect to the radius.
d ° √ 5¢
b) 24x − x +
dx x
11
10
x
–3 –2 –1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
–1
–2
22 Chapter 1 Differentiation
EXAMPLE Find the points on the graph of f (x) = − 13 x3 +2x2 at which the tangent line is horizontal.
y
12
11
10
x
–3 –2 –1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
–1
–2
EXAMPLE Find the points on the graph of f (x) = − 13 x3 + 2x2 where the tangent line has slope −5.
y
12
11
10
x
–3 –2 –1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
–1
–2