Week 3 - Derivatives

Shi, Bo-An 施柏安

Class#07 Calculus 1 TA, NTU (Ver.1)

September 20, 2023

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Table of Contents

1 The Concept of Derivatives

2 The Calculation of Derivative Functions by Definition

3 Applications and Conclusions

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 The Concept of Derivatives

1 The Concept of Derivatives

2 The Calculation of Derivative Functions by Definition

3 Applications and Conclusions

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 The Concept of Derivatives

Introduction

The concept of derivatives comes out when we concern the rates of

change.
For example, given a function of a displacement of a car x versus the time
t. We want to find out the velocity at one moment t0 . One way is to find
an average velocity: ∆x
∆t at an interval containing t0 . However, the average
velocity depends on the reference time interval and varies, so the
information is not actually we want.
Consider the Instantaneous Velocity by letting the interval be very short.
The velocity will depend on the smaller interval.
Now we have a new tool: ”limit”, which can make the interval as small as
we want. The limit of ∆x∆t when ∆t → 0 let us find the representative
value for the instantaneous velocity at t0 . The instantaneous velocity is
x(t0 + ∆t) − x(t0 )
v = lim
∆t→0 ∆t
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 The Concept of Derivatives

The Slope of a Tangent Line

From the view of geometry, we can plot the function x(t) on the graph.
Given two point, (t0 , x(t0 )) and (t0 + ∆t, x(t0 + ∆t)), now the slope of
the secant line containing the two points is the Average Velocity. The
velocity depends on these two points.
If we let ∆t → 0, the secant line will finally become a tangent line and
only intersect (t, x(t)) (locally).

https://www.desmos.com/calculator/nynpasifan?lang=zh-TW

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 The Concept of Derivatives

The Definition of Derivatives

Definition (Derivative)
The derivative of a function f at a number a is

f (x) − f (a)
f ′ (a) = lim
x→a x−a
or equivalently,
f (a + h) − f (a)
f ′ (a) = lim
h→0 h
if the limit exists.
If the limit exists, we say f is differentiable at a.
Question: What is the relationship between

“f is differentiable at a” and “f is continuous at a”?

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 The Concept of Derivatives

The Existence of Derivatives

“f is differentiable at a” ⇒ “f is continuous at a”

But,

“f is differentiable at a” ⇍ “f is continuous at a”

Question: When does a function fail to be differentiable?

Discontinuity
Sharp Corner (f (x) = |x| at x = 0)
Vertical Tangent Line (f (x) = x1/3 at x = 0)

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 The Concept of Derivatives

The Derivative Function

We collect all derivatives and create a new function f ′ (x) with variable
x.The function is called a derivative function.
When x = a, f ′ (a) represents the derivative of f (x) at a.
The derivative operation sends a function f (x) to another function f ′ (x).

Different Notations of Derivatives

We write derivatives in different notations, but they
are the same!

dy
f ′ (x), , ẏ, Dx f
dx

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 The Calculation of Derivative Functions by Definition

1 The Concept of Derivatives

2 The Calculation of Derivative Functions by Definition

3 Applications and Conclusions

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 The Calculation of Derivative Functions by Definition

Review: The Limit Laws

The Limit Laws

Suppose c is a constant, and the limits lim f (x), lim g(x) exists, then
x→a x→a
1 lim [f (x) + g(x)] = lim f (x) + lim g(x)
x→a x→a x→a
2 lim [f (x) − g(x)] = lim f (x) − lim g(x)
x→a x→a x→a
3 lim [cf (x)] = c · lim f (x)
x→a x→a
4 lim [f (x) · g(x)] = lim f (x) · lim g(x)
x→a x→a x→a

f (x) lim f (x)

5 lim = x→a if lim g(x) ̸= 0
x→a g(x) lim g(x) x→a
x→a
We can prove these properties by ϵ-δ definition.

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 The Calculation of Derivative Functions by Definition

Derivative of xn

Example (The Derivative of xn )

Let f (x) = xn , where n ∈ N.

d(xn ) f (x + h) − f (x) (x + h)n − xn

= lim = lim
dx h→0 h h→0 h
Expand (x + h)n using the binomial expansion,


n n n

n−1 n

2 n−2

n x + n−1 hx + n−2 h x + · · · + n0 hn − xn
= lim
 h
h→0
    
n n n n−1
= lim xn−1 + hxn−2 + · · · + h = nxn−1
h→0 n − 1 n−2 0
| {z }
→0 as h→0

d(xn )
In fact, dx = nxn−1 for all n ∈ R. (What’s the meaning of 2π ?)
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 The Calculation of Derivative Functions by Definition

Derivatives of Polynomial Functions

A polynomial function: f (x) = cn xn + cn−1 xn−1 + c1 x + c0

By some properties of derivatives, we can differentiate every polynomial
function.
Derivative Rules
If f (x) and g(x) are both differentiable, c is a constant,
d
dx c = 0
1

d d d
dx [f (x) + g(x)] = dx f (x) + dx g(x)
2

dx [f (x) − g(x)] = dx f (x) −

d d d
dx g(x)
3

d d
dx [cf (x)] = c dx f (x)
4

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 The Calculation of Derivative Functions by Definition

√
Derivative of 4x + 1
√
Example (The Derivative of 4x + 1)
√
Let f (x) = 4x + 1,
p √
df (x) f (x + h) − f (x) 4(x + h) + 1 − 4x + 1
= lim = lim
dx h→0 h h→0 h
4h
= lim √ √
h→0 h( 4x + 4h + 1 + 4x + 1)
4 4
= lim √ √ =√ √
h→0 4x + 4h + 1 + 4x + 1 4x + 1 + 4x + 1
2
=√
4x + 1

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 The Calculation of Derivative Functions by Definition

Derivative of Exponential Functions I

Example (The Derivative of bx )

Let f (x) = bx , b > 0. Then

d(bx ) bx+h − bx bh − 1
f ′ (x) = = lim = lim bx = bx f ′ (0)
dx h→0 h h→0 h
We assume that f ′ (0) exists.
bh − 1
We have no idea what lim is.
h→0 h
But, we can define a number e = 2.71828 . . . (Euler’s number),

eh − 1
e := lim =1
h→0 h
dex
And we know dx = ex .
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 The Calculation of Derivative Functions by Definition

Derivative of Exponential Functions II

bh − 1
As we defined e, we can now represent lim in terms of e.
h→0 h
bh − 1 (eloge b )h − 1
lim = lim
h→0 h h→0 h
Let h′ = h × loge b,
′
eh − 1
= lim log b × = loge b
h′ →0
e
h′
(We implicitly used the chain rule)

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 The Calculation of Derivative Functions by Definition

Derivative of Exponential Functions III

Now, we have an expression for the derivative of bx . For an exponential

function, the derivative is proportional to the original function.
Example (The Derivative of bx )
Let f (x) = bx , b > 0. Then

d(bx ) bx+h − bx bh − 1
f ′ (x) = = lim = lim bx = bx loge b
dx h→0 h h→0 h

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 Applications and Conclusions

1 The Concept of Derivatives

2 The Calculation of Derivative Functions by Definition

3 Applications and Conclusions

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 Applications and Conclusions

Applications of Derivatives

The theory of derivatives is really useful in science and engineering!

Physics: General Physics

d2 x
F =m
dt2
Chemistry: Reaction Rates, Schrödinger equation
 
∂ h̄2 ∂ 2
ih̄ Ψ(x, t) = − + V (x, t) Ψ(x, t)
∂t 2m ∂x2

Biology: The Growth Model of Bacteria

Economics, Data Analysis: The Optimization of Cost Functions
And more...

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 Applications and Conclusions

Conclusion

Derivative is an approximation of rate of change for a point.

Derivative of a point only depends on the local property of the point.
Using derivatives makes the complex behavior in the real world much
easier to describe.

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