Derivatives of Basic Functions

This section contains documents created from scanned original files, which are inaccessible to screen reader software. A "#" symbol is used to denote such documents.

Lecture Notes

Document PDF
Section 3, Page 3

Derivative formula given for functions of the form f(x) = xn, derived using the binomial theorem.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: Concept of derivative (section 2 of lecture 1) and the binomial theorem (section 2 of this lecture)
Back to Top
Document PDF
Section 6, Page 4

Proof by induction of derivative formula for xn.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: Knowledge of mathematical induction, Product Rule (section 4 of this lecture), and concept of derivative (section 2 of lecture 1)
Back to Top
Document PDF
Section 2, Page 1 to page 2

Derivative formula for un, proven by induction.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: Product Rule (section 1 of this lecture) and knowledge of mathematical induction
Back to Top
Document PDF
Section 3, Page 2 to page 3

Derivative formula found for functions of the form f(x) = xa, where a is a fraction.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: Derivative of xn (sections 3 and 6 of lecture 3)
Back to Top
Document PDF
Section 2, Page 1 to page 2

Algebraic rules for exponentials and logarithms are reviewed.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF
Section 3, Page 2 to page 3

Derivation, leading to the definition of e and the natural logarithm.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: Rules for Exponentials (section 2 of this lecture)
Back to Top
Document PDF
Section 4, Page 3 to page 4

Derivation using the chain rule. Derivative of ln(x) also given and used to find the numeric value of e.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: Rules for Logarithms (section 2 of this lecture) and definition of derivative (section 2 of lecture 1)
Back to Top
Document PDF
Section 5, Page 4 to page 5

Finding the derivative of a product of functions using logarithms to convert into a sum of functions. Includes worked example.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: Rules for Logarithms (section 2 of this lecture) and Product Rule (section 4 of lecture 3)
Back to Top
Document PDF
Section 1, Page 1 to page 2

Angles and continuous functions of them are described abstractly, with mention of the specific functions sin, cos, tan, sec, csc, and cot.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF
Section 2, Page 2

Angle addition formulas and other trigonometric identities involving sin and cos.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF
Section 4, Page 3

Derivation using trig identities and difference quotients.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: Trigonometric Identities (section 2 of this lecture) and difference quotients (section 2 of lecture 1)
Back to Top
Document PDF
Section 5, Page 4

Derivative of tan(x) is derived from the quotient rule and the derivatives of sin(x) and cos(x). Derivatives for sec(x), csc(x), and cot(x) are also stated.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: Derivatives of sin(x) and cos(x)
Back to Top
Document PDF
Section 3, Page 2

Brief definitions of the inverse trigonometric functions sin-1(x), cos-1(x), and tan-1(x)

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: Inverse Functions (section 1 of this lecture)
Back to Top
Document PDF
Section 5, Page 3 to page 4

Formulas for the derivatives of the inverse trigonometric functions, as well as the equation sin-1(x) + cos-1(x) = pi/2.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: Inverse Trigonometric Functions and Derivatives of Inverse Functions (sections 3 and 4 of this lecture)
Back to Top

Online Textbook Chapters

Document Document

Definition, including the properties of the function and its derivatives, as well as a graph of the function.

Prior Knowledge: Functions (OT1.3)
Back to Top
Document Document

List of important properties, as well as the derivatives of sine and cosine and a power series representation of sine and cosine.

Instructor: Prof. Daniel J. Kleitman
Prior Knowledge: Trigonometric Functions (OT2.2)
Back to Top
Document Document

Deriving further rules for derivatives, including the product rule and the rule for functions of the form xn.

Instructor: Prof. Daniel J. Kleitman
Prior Knowledge: Differentiability (OT6.1)
Back to Top
Document Document

Derivatives for the identity, exponential, and sine functions.

Instructor: Prof. Daniel J. Kleitman
Prior Knowledge: Differentiability (OT6.1)
Back to Top

Practice Problems

Document PDF
Problem 1 (page 1)

Finding the equation for the tangent line to an exponential function through a point not on the graph of the function.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF
Problem 4 (page 2 to page 3)

Taking the first and second derivatives of a function involving an exponential and a cosine.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top

Exam Questions

Document PDF
Problem 2 (page 3)

Finding the derivatives of an exponential function.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF
Problem 6 (page 7)

Finding the derivatives of exponential and logarithmic functions.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF
Problem 1 (page 2)

Finding the derivatives of two trigonometric functions.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF
Problem 1.5 (page 1) to problem (page 2)

Evaluating the derivative of the inverse of an exponential function.

Instructor: Prof. Jason Starr
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF
Problem 1 (page 1)

Four-part question involving the evaluation of three derivatives and a limit.

Instructor: Prof. David Jerison
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF
Problem 4 (page 1)

Sketching the graph of the inverse sine function and finding its derivative.

Instructor: Prof. David Jerison
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF
Problem 1 (page 1) to problem 2 (page 1)

Two questions finding the derivatives of functions.

Instructor: Prof. David Jerison
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF
Problem 2 (page 1)

Finding the derivatives of four functions.

Instructor: Prof. David Jerison
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF
Problem (page 1)

A list of trigonometric and inverse trigonometric identities and formulas involving integrals and derivatives.

Instructor: Prof. David Jerison
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF
Problem 1 (page 1)

Three derivatives to be evaluated using a variety of techniques.

Instructor: Prof. David Jerison
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF - 2.2 MB
Problem 1E-1 (page 4) to problem 1E-5 (page 5)

Five questions which involve taking derivatives and antiderivatives of polynomials, finding the points on a graph which have horizontal tangent lines, and finding derivatives of rational functions.

Instructor: Prof. David Jerison
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF - 2.2 MB
Problem 1G-1 (page 5) to problem 1G-5 (page 6)

Five questions which involve finding second, third, or nth derivatives of functions.

Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF - 2.2 MB
Problem 1I-1 (page 8) to problem 1I-5 (page 8)

Five questions which involve evaluating derivatives and limits of functions which contain logarithms or exponentials, graphing an exponential function, and calculating interest compounded with different frequencies.

Instructor: Prof. David Jerison
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF - 2.2 MB
Problem 1J-1 (page 9) to problem 1J-4 (page 9)

Four questions which involve calculating derivatives of trigonometric functions.

Instructor: Prof. David Jerison
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF - 2.2 MB
Problem 3A-1 (page 21) to problem 3A-3 (page 21)

Three questions which involve evaluating five differentials and twenty indefinite integrals using a range of techniques.

Instructor: Prof. David Jerison
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top
Document PDF - 2.2 MB
Problem 5A-1 (page 35) to problem 5A-6 (page 35)

Six questions which involve evaluating integrals and derivatives of these functions, as well as graphing them and finding tangent lines or average values.

Instructor: Prof. David Jerison
Prior Knowledge: None
Back to Top