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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.
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.}
The mean value theorem gives a relationship between values of the derivative and values of the original function. If f ( x ) is a real-valued function and a and b are numbers with a < b , then the mean value theorem says that under mild hypotheses, the slope between the two points ( a , f ( a )) and ( b , f ( b )) is equal to the slope of the ...
Therefore, the true derivative of f at x is the limit of the value of the difference quotient as the secant lines get closer and closer to being a tangent line: ′ = (+) (). Since immediately substituting 0 for h results in 0 0 {\displaystyle {\frac {0}{0}}} indeterminate form , calculating the derivative directly can be unintuitive.
In calculus, the inverse function rule is a formula that expresses the derivative of the inverse of a bijective and differentiable function f in terms of the derivative of f. More precisely, if the inverse of f {\displaystyle f} is denoted as f − 1 {\displaystyle f^{-1}} , where f − 1 ( y ) = x {\displaystyle f^{-1}(y)=x} if and only if f ...
If the derivative f vanishes at p, then f − f(p) belongs to the square I p 2 of this ideal. Hence the derivative of f at p may be captured by the equivalence class [f − f(p)] in the quotient space I p /I p 2, and the 1-jet of f (which encodes its value and its first derivative) is the equivalence class of f in the space of all functions ...
The derivative of the function at a point is the slope of the line tangent to the curve at the point. Slope of the constant function is zero, because the tangent line to the constant function is horizontal and its angle is zero. In other words, the value of the constant function, y, will not change as the value of x increases or decreases.
for the first derivative, for the second derivative, for the third derivative, and 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.