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2-7. The Derivative As A Function

This document discusses derivatives and how they can be interpreted as functions. It defines the derivative of a function f as another function f' called the derivative function. The document explains how to take higher order derivatives and interpret what they represent, such as acceleration being the second derivative. It also discusses ways a function can fail to be differentiable.

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Carl Lagramada
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22 views43 pages

2-7. The Derivative As A Function

This document discusses derivatives and how they can be interpreted as functions. It defines the derivative of a function f as another function f' called the derivative function. The document explains how to take higher order derivatives and interpret what they represent, such as acceleration being the second derivative. It also discusses ways a function can fail to be differentiable.

Uploaded by

Carl Lagramada
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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2-7.

The Derivative as a
Function

Engr. Philip Caesar L. Ebit


Objectives
• Solve derivative of a function using the general equation in derivation
of a function
• Compare graph of 𝑓 𝑥 to 𝑓 ′ 𝑥
• Interpret derivatives of a function
• Interpret the significance of second derivative of a function
• In the preceding section we considered the derivative
of a function f at a fixed number a:
• Here we change our point of view and let the number
a vary. If we replace a in Equation 1 by a variable x, we
obtain
• Given any number x for which this limit exists,
′
we assign to x the number 𝑓 𝑥 .
• So we can regard 𝑓′ as a new function, called the
derivative of 𝒇 and defined by Equation 2.
•We know that the value of 𝑓′ at 𝑥, 𝑓 ′ 𝑥 ,
can be interpreted geometrically as the
slope of the tangent line to the graph of 𝑓 at
the point 𝑥, 𝑓 𝑥 .
• The function is 𝑓′ called the derivative of 𝑓
because it has been “derived” from 𝑓 by the
limiting operation in Equation 2. The domain of
′
𝑓′ is the set 𝑥|𝑓 𝑥 exists and may be smaller
than the domain of 𝑓.
Example 1: The graph of a function 𝑓 is given in Figure
below. Use it to sketch the graph of the derivative 𝑓′.
Solution: We can estimate the value of the derivative at any
value 𝑥 of by drawing the tangent at the point 𝑥, 𝑓 𝑥 and
estimating its slope.
• Solution Cont.: For instance, for 𝑥 = 5 we draw the tangent at 𝑃 in
3
Figure 2(a) and estimate its slope to be about , so 𝑓 ′ 5 ≈ 1.5. This
2
′
allows us to plot the point 𝑃 5, 1.5 on the graph of 𝑓′ directly beneath P.

Figure 2(a)
• Solution Cont.: Repeating this procedure at several points, we get the
graph shown in Figure 2(b).

Figure 2(a) Figure 2(b)


• Solution Cont.: Notice that the tangents at 𝐴, 𝐵, 𝐶 and are horizontal, so
the derivative is 0 there and the graph of 𝑓′ crosses the -axis at the points
𝐴′, 𝐵′, and 𝐶′, directly beneath 𝐴, 𝐵, and 𝐶.

Figure 2(a) Figure 2(b)


• Solution Cont.: Between 𝐴 and 𝐵 the tangents have positive slope, so
𝑓 ′ 𝑥 is positive there. But between 𝐵 and 𝐶 the tangents have negative
slope, so 𝑓 ′ 𝑥 is negative there.

Figure 2(a) Figure 2(b)


]

Figure 3
Figure 4
Other Notations
• If we use the traditional notation 𝑦 = 𝑓 𝑥 to indicate that the
independent variable is 𝑥 and the dependent variable is 𝑦, then some
common alternative notations for the derivative are as follows:

𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑓 𝑑
𝑓′ 𝑥 = 𝑦′ = = = 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝐷𝑓 𝑥 = 𝐷𝑥 𝑓 𝑥
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥
𝑑
• The symbols 𝐷 and are called differentiation operators because
𝑑𝑥
they indicate the operation of differentiation, which is the process of
calculating a derivative.
Other Notations

′
𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑓
′
𝑑
𝑓 𝑥 =𝑦 = = = 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝐷𝑓 𝑥 = 𝐷𝑥 𝑓 𝑥
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥
𝑑𝑦
• The symbol , which was introduced by Leibniz, should not be
𝑑𝑥
regarded as a ratio (for the time being); it is simply a synonym for
𝑓 ′ 𝑥 . Nonetheless, it is a very useful and suggestive notation,
especially when used in conjunction with increment notation. We can
rewrite the definition of derivative in Leibniz notation in the form

𝑑𝑦 ∆𝑦
= lim
𝑑𝑥 ∆𝑥→0 ∆𝑥
Other Notations
𝑑𝑦
• If we want to indicate the value of a derivative in Leibniz
𝑑𝑥
notation at a specific number 𝑎, we use the notation

𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑦
ቚ or ቃ
𝑑𝑥 𝑥=𝑎 𝑑𝑥 𝑥=𝑎

which is a synonym for 𝑓 ′ 𝑎 .


′
• A function 𝑓 is differentiable at a if 𝑓 𝑎 exist.
It is differentiable on an open interval
𝑎, 𝑏 𝑜𝑟 𝑎, ∞ 𝑜𝑟 −∞, 𝑎 𝑜𝑟 −∞, ∞ if it is
differentiable at every number in the interval.
If 𝑓 is differentiable at 𝑎, then 𝑓
is continuous at 𝑎.
How Can a Function Fail to Be Differentiable?
• We saw that the function 𝑦 = 𝑥 in Example 5 is not differentiable at
𝑥 = 0 and Figure 5(a) shows that its graph changes direction abruptly
when 𝑥 = 0.
How Can a Function Fail to Be Differentiable?
• In general, if the graph of a function 𝑓 has a “corner” or “kink” in it,
then the graph of 𝑓 has no tangent at this point and 𝑓 is not
differentiable there. [In trying to compute 𝑓 ′ 𝑎 , we find that the left
and right limits are different.]
How Can a Function Fail to Be Differentiable?
• Theorem 4 gives another way for a function not
to have a derivative. It says that if 𝑓 is not
continuous at 𝑎, then 𝑓 is not differentiable at 𝑎.
So at any discontinuity (for instance, a jump
discontinuity) 𝑓 fails to be differentiable.
How Can a Function Fail to Be Differentiable?
• A third possibility is that the curve
has a vertical tangent line when
𝑥 = 𝑎; that is, 𝑓 is continuous at 𝑎
and

lim 𝑓 ′ 𝑥 =∞
𝑥→𝑎

• This means that the tangent lines


become steeper and steeper as
𝑥 → 𝑎. Figure 6 shows one way
that this can happen.
How Can a Function Fail to Be Differentiable?
Higher Derivatives
• If is a differentiable function, then its derivative 𝑓′ is also a function,
so 𝑓′ may have a derivative of its own, denoted by 𝑓 ′ ′ = 𝑓 ′′ .
• This new function is called the second derivative of 𝑓 because it is
the derivative of the derivative of 𝑓. Using Leibniz notation, we write
the second derivative of as

2
𝑑 𝑑𝑦 𝑑 𝑦
= 2
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥
• In general, we can interpret a second derivative as a rate of
change of a rate of change. The most familiar example of
this is acceleration, which we define as follows.

• If 𝑠 𝑡 is the position function of an object that moves in a


straight line, we know that its first derivative represents the
velocity 𝑣 𝑡 of the object as a function of time:

′
𝑑𝑠
𝑣 𝑡 =𝑠 𝑡 =
𝑑𝑡
• If 𝑠 𝑡 is the position function of an object that moves in a straight
line, we know that its first derivative represents the velocity 𝑣 𝑡 of
the object as a function of time:
′
𝑑𝑠
𝑣 𝑡 =𝑠 𝑡 =
𝑑𝑡

• The instantaneous rate of change of velocity with respect to time is


called the acceleration 𝒂 𝒕 of the object. Thus the acceleration
function is the derivative of the velocity function and is therefore the
second derivative of the position function:
𝑎 𝑡 = 𝑣 ′ 𝑡 = 𝑠 ′′ 𝑡
or, in Leibniz notation,
𝑑𝑣 𝑑2 𝑠
𝑎= = 2
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
′′′
• The thirdderivative 𝑓 is the derivative of the
second derivative: 𝑓 = 𝑓 ′′ ′. So 𝑓 ′′′ 𝑥 can be
′′′
interpreted as the slope of the curve 𝑦 = 𝑓 ′′ 𝑥 or as
the rate of change of 𝑓 ′′ 𝑥 . If 𝑦 = 𝑓 𝑥 , then
alternative notations for the third derivative are

𝑑 𝑑2𝑦 𝑑3𝑦
𝑦 ′′′ = 𝑓 ′′′ 𝑥 = 2
= 3
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥
• The process can be continued. The fourth
′′′′ 4
derivative 𝑓 is usually denoted by 𝑓 . In
general, the 𝑛𝑡ℎ derivative of 𝑓 is denoted by
𝑓 𝑛 and is obtained from 𝑓 by differentiating 𝑛
times. If 𝑦 = 𝑓 𝑥 , we write
𝑛
𝑑 𝑦
𝑛 𝑛
𝑦 =𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑛
𝑑𝑥
End of Presentation.

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