Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
In mathematics, the derivative is a fundamental tool that quantifies the sensitivity to change of a function's output with respect to its input. The derivative of a function of a single variable at a chosen input value, when it exists, is the slope of the tangent line to the graph of the function at that point.
The derivative of the function at a point is the slope of the line tangent to the curve at the point. The slope of the constant function is 0, because the tangent line to the constant function is horizontal and its angle is 0.
1.1 Example 1: Basic example. 1.2 Example 2: ... the quotient rule is a method of finding the derivative of a function that is the ratio of two differentiable functions.
The second derivative test can still be used to analyse critical points by considering the eigenvalues of the Hessian matrix of second partial derivatives of the function at the critical point. If all of the eigenvalues are positive, then the point is a local minimum; if all are negative, it is a local maximum.
Thus, the derivative of a function called f is denoted by f′, pronounced "f prime" or "f dash". For instance, if f(x) = x 2 is the squaring function, then f′(x) = 2x is its derivative (the doubling function g from above). If the input of the function represents time, then the derivative represents change concerning time.
for the nth derivative. When f is a function of several variables, it is common to use "∂", a stylized cursive lower-case d, rather than "D". As above, the subscripts denote the derivatives that are being taken. For example, the second partial derivatives of a function f(x, y) are: [6]
A number of properties of the differential follow in a straightforward manner from the corresponding properties of the derivative, partial derivative, and total derivative. These include: [ 11 ] Linearity : For constants a and b and differentiable functions f and g , d ( a f + b g ) = a d f + b d g . {\displaystyle d(af+bg)=a\,df+b\,dg.}
In calculus, the product rule (or Leibniz rule [1] or Leibniz product rule) is a formula used to find the derivatives of products of two or more functions.For two functions, it may be stated in Lagrange's notation as () ′ = ′ + ′ or in Leibniz's notation as () = +.