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Lesson 21 - The Chain Rule

This document introduces the chain rule, which provides a method for finding the derivative of a composite function. It gives examples to motivate the need for the chain rule, such as finding the derivative of (1+x2)10 or trigonometric functions. The chain rule states that the derivative of a composite function f(x) = g(h(x)) is f'(x) = g'(h(x)) * h'(x). It then provides examples of using the chain rule to find the derivatives of various composite functions.

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Ammar Rizwan
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25 views4 pages

Lesson 21 - The Chain Rule

This document introduces the chain rule, which provides a method for finding the derivative of a composite function. It gives examples to motivate the need for the chain rule, such as finding the derivative of (1+x2)10 or trigonometric functions. The chain rule states that the derivative of a composite function f(x) = g(h(x)) is f'(x) = g'(h(x)) * h'(x). It then provides examples of using the chain rule to find the derivatives of various composite functions.

Uploaded by

Ammar Rizwan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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LESSON 21- The Chain Rule

As a motivation for the chain rule, consider the function

f(x) = (1+x2)10.

Since f(x) is a polynomial function, we know from previous pages that f'(x) exists.
Naturally one may ask for an explicit formula for it. One tedious way to do this is to
develop (1+x2)10 using the Binomial Formula and then take the derivative. Of course, it is
possible to do this, but it won't be much fun. But what if we have to deal with (1+x2)100!
Then I hope you agree that the Binomial Formula is not the way to go anymore.

So what do we do? The answer is given by the Chain Rule. Before we discuss the Chain
Rule formula, let us give another example.

Example. Let us find the derivative of . One way to do that is through


some trigonometric identities. Indeed, we have

So we will use the product formula to get

which implies
Using the trigonometric formula , we get

Once this is done, you may ask about the derivative of ? The answer can be
found using similar trigonometric identities, but the calculations are not as easy as before.
Again we will see how the Chain Rule formula will answer this question in an elegant
way.

In both examples, the function f(x) may be viewed as:

where g(x) = 1+x2 and h(x) = x10 in the first example, and and g(x) = 2x
in the second. We say that f(x) is the composition of the functions g(x) and h(x) and write

The derivative of the composition is given by the formula

Another way to write this formula is

where and u = g(x). This second formulation (due to Leibniz) is


easier to remember and is the formulation used almost exclusively by physicists.

Example. Let us find the derivative of


We have , where g(x) = 1+x2 and h(x) = x100. Then the Chain rule
implies that f'(x) exists, which we knew since it is a polynomial function, and

Example. Let us find the derivative of

We have , where g(x) = 5x and . Then the Chain


rule implies that f'(x) exists and

In fact, this is a particular case of the following formula

The following formulas come in handy in many areas of techniques of integration.

Question/Answer session

Q1. Find the derivative of

Answer. We will use the Chain rule. Set


Then we have y = u2. The Chain rule implies

Since

we get

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