Cambridge Physics PhD Tutor IB DSE IGCSE SAT

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HKU 1st Hons Engineer 93197825 AP MCAT GCE

7.1 Differentiate by First Principles

f ( x h) f( x)
Derivative as a function: f ' (x ) l i m
h 0 h

f (x  x)  f (x)
f (x)  lim
x 0 x
dy y
or  lim
dx x 0 x

f ( x)  f (a )
Derivative at a point: f '(a)  lim
 xa xa

Example 1:
Differentiate y  x n with respect to x from 1st principles for positive integer n.
Solution:
f ( x)  x n

f ( x  h)  f ( x ) ( x  h) n  x n
f ( x)  lim  lim
h0 h h0 h

 n n 1 n(n  1) n2 2  n
 x  nx h  2 x h  ...  x
 lim
h0 h

 n1 2  n( n  1) n  2 
 nx h  h  2 x  ... 
 lim   
h0  h 
 

  n(n  1) n2 
 lim nx
n 1
 h x  ...
h0  2  (Power Rule)
 nx n1
 Cambridge Physics PhD Tutor IB DSE IGCSE SAT
UC Math MA, HKU Chemist [email protected]
HKU 1st Hons Engineer 93197825 AP MCAT GCE

Example 2:
Differentiate y  x 3 with respect to x from 1st principles.
Solution:
y  x3

y  (x  x) 3  x 3
y  x 3  3x 2x  3x(x) 2  (x) 3  x 3
y  3x 2x  3x(x) 2  (x) 3
y 3x 2x  3x(x) 2  (x) 3
  3x 2  3x(x)  (x) 2
x x
y
lim  lim 3x 2  3x(x)  (x) 2  3x 2  3x0  0 2  3x 2
x 0 x x 0

Example 3:

Differentiate y  1 x with respect to x from 1st principles.
Solution:

 y  1 x
y  1 x  x  1 x
y 1 x  x  1 x
lim  lim
x 0 x x 0 x
1 x  x  1 x 1 x  x  1 x
 lim ( )
x 0 x 1 x  x  1 x
1 x  x  (1 x) 1
 lim ( )
x 0 x 1 x  x  1 x
1
 lim
x 0 1 x  x  1 x

1

1 x  0  1 x
1

2 1 x


 Cambridge Physics PhD Tutor IB DSE IGCSE SAT
UC Math MA, HKU Chemist [email protected]
HKU 1st Hons Engineer 93197825 AP MCAT GCE

Example 4:
Differentiate y  cos x with respect to x from 1st principles.
Solution:
y  cos x
 x x
y  cos(x  x)  cos x  2sin(x  )sin( )
2 2
x x
2sin(x )sin( )
y 2 2
lim  lim
x 0 x x 0 x
x x
sin(x  )sin( )
 lim 2 2
x 0 x
2
x
x sin( )
  lim sin(x  ) lim 2
x 0 2 x 0 x
2
2
0
 sin(x  ) (1)
2
 sin x

Example 5:

x3  8
What does the following limit represent? lim
x 2 x  2

This limit represents the value of f '(2) where f ( x)  x3 .

Example 6:

ln( x  h)  ln x
What does the following limit represent? lim
h 0 h

d
This limit represents the derivative of f ( x)  ln x or  ln x 
dx
 Cambridge Physics PhD Tutor IB DSE IGCSE SAT
UC Math MA, HKU Chemist [email protected]
HKU 1st Hons Engineer 93197825 AP MCAT GCE

Example 7:
(a) Find the derivative of the function f(x) = 3x2 – 1 with respect to x from first principle.
(b) Hence, find the value of the derivative when x = 1.
Solution:
f ( x  x)  f ( x)
(a) f ( x)  lim
x 0 x
[3( x  x) 2  1]  (3x 2  1)
 lim
x0 x
3x  6 x(x)  3(x) 2  1  3x 2  1
2
 lim
x0 x
6 x(x)  3(x) 2
 lim
x0 x
 lim 6 x  3(x)
x 0

 6x
(b) When x = 1, f (x) = 6(1)
=6

Example 8:
Find the derivative of f ( x)  x 3 from first principles.
Solution:
f ( x  Δx)  f ( x)
f ( x)  lim
Δx  0
Δx
( x  Δx) 3  x 3
 lim
Δx  0
Δx
1  1 1
 lim   
Δx  0
Δx  ( x  Δx) 3 x 3 
1 x 3  ( x 3  3 x 2 Δx  3 xΔx 2  Δx 3 )
 lim 
Δx  0
Δx x 3 ( x  Δx) 3
 3 x 2  3 xΔx  Δx 2
 lim
Δx  0
x 3 ( x  Δx) 3
 3x 2

x3  x3
  3x 4
 Cambridge Physics PhD Tutor IB DSE IGCSE SAT
UC Math MA, HKU Chemist [email protected]
HKU 1st Hons Engineer 93197825 AP MCAT GCE

Example 9:
( x  3)3
Let f ( x)  .
6
(a) Find f (x) from first principles.
(b) Show that f (0) = f (–6).
Solution:
f ( x  x)  f ( x)
(a) f ( x)  lim
x 0 x
 1 ( x  x  3)3  ( x  3)3 
 lim   
x0 x
 6 
 1 ( x  3)3  3( x  3) 2 (x)  3( x  3)(x) 2  (x)3  ( x  3)3 
 lim   
x0 x
 6 
 1 3( x  3) (x)  3( x  3)(x)  (x) 
2 2 3
 lim   
x0 x
 6 
 3( x  3) 2  3( x  3)(x)  (x) 2 
 lim  
x0
 6 
3( x  3) 2

6
( x  3) 2

2
(b) Using the result in (a),

1
f (0) = (0 + 3)2 = 4.5
2

1
f (–6) = (–6 + 3)2 = 4.5
2

 f (0) = f (–6)
 Cambridge Physics PhD Tutor IB DSE IGCSE SAT
UC Math MA, HKU Chemist [email protected]
HKU 1st Hons Engineer 93197825 AP MCAT GCE

Example 10:
Find the derivative of f ( x)  tan x from first principles.
Solution:
f ( x  Δx)  f ( x)
f ( x)  lim
Δx  0
Δx
tan( x  Δx)  tan x
 lim
Δx  0
Δx
tan[( x  Δx)  x]  [1  tan( x  Δx) tan x]
 lim
Δx  0
Δx
sin Δx 1  tan( x  Δx) tan x
 lim 
Δx  0
Δx cos Δx
1  tan x
2
 1
1
 1  tan 2 x
 sec 2 x
 Cambridge Physics PhD Tutor IB DSE IGCSE SAT
UC Math MA, HKU Chemist [email protected]
HKU 1st Hons Engineer 93197825 AP MCAT GCE

Example 11: (HKDSE M2 Sample Question):

d ( 2x )
Find from first principles.
dx
(4 marks)
Solution:
f ( x  Δx)  f ( x)
f ( x)  lim
Δx  0 Δx
2( x  Δx)  2 x
 lim
Δx  0 Δx
 2( x  Δx)  2 x 2( x  Δx)  2 x 
 lim   
Δx  0  Δ x  Δ  
 2( x x ) 2 x 
 2( x  Δx)  2 x 
 lim  
Δx  0  Δx ( 2( x  Δx )  2 x ) 
 
 2Δx 
 lim  
Δx  0  Δx ( 2( x  Δx )  2 x ) 
 
 2 
 lim  
Δx  0  2( x  Δx )  2 x 
 
2

2( x  0)  2 x
2

2 2x
1

2x