2011

JAYPEE UNIVERSITY OF
ENGINEERING AND
TECHNOLOGY, GUNA

GAURAV CHAURASIA
(08613g)

[DIFFERENTIATION OF EXPONENTIAL
FUNCTION]
No matter how many times you differentiate e^x , it remains e^x. Exponential
functions only hold this property. But its not true for bases other than e.
Diffentiation of a^x is not a^x. This unique property of the function e^x can be
proved in several ways. Some of them are explained here which require the
knowledge of basic calculus.
INTRODUCTION

The exponential function y = e
x
is the great creation of calculus.
Calculus is about pairs of functions. Function 1 (the distance we travel or the
height we climb) is changing. Function 2 (the velocity
d
dt
or the slope
d
dx
) tells the
rate of change. From one of those functions, we find the other.
This is the heart of calculus. The relation of Function 1 to Function 2 is learned by
examples more than by definitions, and those great functions are the right ones to
remember .

=
n
= sn on cos =

on
c


With
x
as our goal, let me suggest that we go straight there. If we hide its best
property, students wont find it (and wont feel it). What makes this function
special ?

The slope of e
x
is e
x
.

Function 1 equals Function 2.

=
x
solves the differential equation
dy
dx
= y.
Restated, the function is equal to its own derivative, and satisfies the equation
dy
dx
= y.
=
x
is the solution of
dy
dx
= y that starts from y=1 at x=0.


Before that solution, draw what it means to have =
d
dx
. The slope at x=0 must
be
d
dx
= (since y =1). So the curve starts upward, along the line y=1+x.

But as increases, its slope increases. So the graph goes up faster (and then faster).
Exponential growth means that the function and its slope stay
proportional.



CHECKING THE VALIDITY OF
dy
dx
= y FOR y = e
x


APPROACH. 1 Constructing y = e
x

I will solve
d
dx
= a step at a time. At the start, y=1 means that
d
dx
= .

Start Change y
Change
d
dx

y=1 = + = +

= +

After the first change, = + has the correct derivative
d
dx
= . But then I have
to change
d
dx
to keep it equal to y.
And I cant stop there:
y 1 1 +x 1 +x +
x
2
2
cubic
equals l l l l

dy
dx
1 1 +x 1 +x +
x
2
2
cubic

The extra
x
2
2
gives the correct in the slope. Then
x
2
2
also has to go into
d
dx
, keep
it equal to y. now we need a new term with this derivative
x
2
2
.
The term that gives
x
2
2
has
3
divided by 6. The derivative of
n
is
n-1
,
so I must divide by n(to cancel correctly). Then the derivative of
x
3
6
is
3x
3
6
=
2
as we wanted. After that comes
4
divided by 24.

x
3
6
=
x
3
(3)(2)(1)
has slope
x
2
(2)(1)


x
4
24
=
x
4
(4)(3)(2)(1)
has slope
x
4
24
=
4x
3
(4)(3)(2)(1)


The pattern becomes more clear. The
n
term is divided by n factorial
which is ! = ()( -1)( - 2) ..(1). The first five factorials are
1,2,6,24,120. The derivative of that term
x
n
n!
is the previous term
x
n-1
(n-1)!

(because the ns cancel). As long as we dont stop, this sum of infinitely
many terms does achieve
d
dx
= .

y(x) = e
x
= 1 +x +
x
2
2
+
x
3

++
x

!
+

Here is the function. Take the derivative of every term and this series
appears again.
If we substitute x=10 into this series, do the infinitely many terms add to a
finite number
10
? Yes. The numbers n! grow much faster than
n
(or any
other
n
). So the terms
10
n
n!
in this exponential series become extremely
small as n - . Analysis shows that the sum of the series (which is =
x
)
does achieve
d
dx
= .

Note:- Here is another way to look at that series for
x
. Start with
n
and
take its derivative n times. First get n
n-1
and then n(n -)
n-2
. Finally
the nth derivative is ( -1)( - 2) ..(1)x

; which is n factorial. When

we divide by that number, the nth derivative of
x

!
is equal to 1. All other
derivatives are zero at = .
Now look at
x
. All its derivatives are still
x
; so they also equal 1 at
= .
The series is matching every derivative of e
x
at the starting point x = .
Here is the graph(figure.1) that shows-

Function(1)=Function(2)=e
x



Figure.1



APPROACH. 2 Differentiation of a function f(x)
Recall that to differentiate any function, f(x), from first principles we find the slope
6
6x
of the line joining an arbitrary point, A and a neighbouring point, B, on the
graph of f(x). We then determine what happens to in the
6
6x
limit as o tends to
zero. (See Figure.2).






Figure.2




The derivative, (), is then given by

(x) =
6x-
6y
6x
=
6x-
(x+6x)-(x)
h




Lets consider the derivative of the exponential function going back to our limit
definition of the derivative.

We wish to find and use derivatives for functions of the form (x) =
x
, where
is a constant. By far the most convenient such function for this purpose is the
exponential function with base the special number e.

Definition. The number e, which is approximately 2.7182818284590... , is the
number such that


h-
e
h
-1
h
= 1

The number e is called Euler's number, after the great mathematician Leonard
Euler (1707-1783).

The major reason for the use of e is the following theorem, which says that e
x
is
its own derivative.

Theorem.
d(e
x
)
dx
= e
x



Proof. For any function (),

()=lim
h-0
](x+h)-](x)
h

Hence
d(c
x
)
dx
= lim
h-0
c
x+h
-c
x
h


= lim
h-0
c
x
c
h
-c
x
h


= lim
h-0
c
x
(c
h
-1)
h


=
x
() (by the definition)

=
x


This approach is basic one which is the tool for getting the differentiation of any
function. So this approach simply gives the result for
d(c
x
)
dx
.




APPROACH. 3 USING KEY POINT
(x) = x the
i
(x) =
1
x


To differentiate =
x
we will rewrite this expression in its alternative form
using logarithms: n =

Then differentiating both sides with respect to ,
(n)

=

The idea is now to find
d
dx
.

We know that
d(In)
dx
=
d(In)
d

d
dx


(This result is obtained using a technique known as the chain rule).

Now we know, that
d(In)
d
=
1

and so
1


d
dx
=

Rearranging,

d
dx
=
But y =
x
and so we have the important and well-known result that


d
dx
=
x


The exponential function (and multiples of it) is the only function
which is equal to its derivative.








CONCLUSION

The derivative of the Natural Exponential Function is itself i.e.


d(e
x
)
dx
= e
x



This is the unique property of Natural Exponential Function which is true in
every case no matter how many times one differentiate this function.


This property shows that slope of Natural Exponential Function is equal to
the function itself at any point.


The above result makes the chain rule simpler if this function is multiplied to
another function.


This property also shows that Natural Exponential Function is always
monotonic (without any break point). In particular,
x
is strictly increasing
and convex.



REFERENCES

1. Joh. Bernoulli, Principia calculi exponentialium, Opera I (1697) 179187.
2. L.Euler, Introductio in analysin infinitorum, Opera 8, (1748).