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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.
(The axes of the graph do not use a 1:1 scale.) The derivative of a function is then simply the slope of this tangent line. [b] Even though the tangent line only touches a single point at the point of tangency, it can be approximated by a line that goes through two points. This is known as a secant line. If the two points that the secant line ...
The derivative, however, can take the squaring function as an input. This means that the derivative takes all the information of the squaring function—such as that two is sent to four, three is sent to nine, four is sent to sixteen, and so on—and uses this information to produce another function.
The graph of a function on its own does not determine the codomain. It is common [3] to use both terms function and graph of a function since even if considered the same object, they indicate viewing it from a different perspective. Graph of the function () = over the interval [−2,+3]. Also shown are the two real roots and the local minimum ...
Differential quadrature is the approximation of derivatives by using weighted sums of function values. [22] [23] Differential quadrature is of practical interest because its allows one to compute derivatives from noisy data.
A differentiable function is smooth (the function is locally well approximated as a linear function at each interior point) and does not contain any break, angle, or cusp. If x 0 is an interior point in the domain of a function f, then f is said to be differentiable at x 0 if the derivative ′ exists.
Similarly, when dealing with complex variables, a critical point is a point in the function's domain where its derivative is equal to zero (or the function is not holomorphic). [3] [4] Likewise, for a function of several real variables, a critical point is a value in its domain where the gradient norm is equal to zero (or undefined). [5]
The second derivative of a function f can be used to determine the concavity of the graph of f. [2] A function whose second derivative is positive is said to be concave up (also referred to as convex), meaning that the tangent line near the point where it touches the function will lie below the graph of the function.