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Differential Calculus

Differential calculus focuses on derivatives, which represent the slope of the tangent line to a function's graph at a point. This summarizes key concepts such as the derivative definition, interpretation, notation, and rules for finding derivatives like the power, product, chain, and quotient rules. Higher order derivatives can also be defined. Differential calculus has applications in fields like physics, optimization, related rates, Taylor series, and implicit differentiation.

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31 views5 pages

Differential Calculus

Differential calculus focuses on derivatives, which represent the slope of the tangent line to a function's graph at a point. This summarizes key concepts such as the derivative definition, interpretation, notation, and rules for finding derivatives like the power, product, chain, and quotient rules. Higher order derivatives can also be defined. Differential calculus has applications in fields like physics, optimization, related rates, Taylor series, and implicit differentiation.

Uploaded by

Bunny s
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 TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Differential calculus focuses on the concept of derivatives.

Here are some key


aspects of differential calculus:

Derivative Definition:

The derivative of a function at a point is defined as the limit of the average rate
of change of the function as the interval over which the rate of change is
calculated approaches zero. Mathematically, if

)
f(x) is a function, then the derivative of

)
f(x) at a point

x is denoted as

′
(

)
f
′
(x) or

dx
dy

.
Interpretation:

Geometrically, the derivative represents the slope of the tangent line to the graph
of the function at a specific point. This tangent line is the best linear
approximation to the function near that point.
Notation:

There are different notations used for derivatives. For example,

dx
dy

)
dx
d

f(x),

′
(

)
f
′
(x), and

˙
y
˙

are all used to denote derivatives.


Rules for Finding Derivatives:

There are various rules and techniques for finding derivatives, including:
Power Rule:

)
=

−
1
dx
d

(x
n
)=n⋅x
n−1
where

n is a constant.
Product Rule:

)
=

′
+

′
dx
d

(u⋅v)=u
′
v+uv
′
where

u and

v are functions of

x, and

′
u
′
and

′
v
′
are their respective derivatives.
Chain Rule:

)
)
)
=

′
(

)
)
⋅

′
(

)
dx
d
(f(g(x)))=f
′
(g(x))⋅g
′
(x) which deals with the composition of functions.
Quotient Rule:

)
=

2
dx
d

(
v
u

)=
v
2

u
′
v−uv
′

where

u and

v are functions of

x.
Higher Order Derivatives:

The second derivative of a function, denoted as

′
′
(

)
f
′′
(x) or
2

2
dx
2

d
2
y

, represents the rate of change of the rate of change, or the acceleration. Higher
order derivatives can also be defined.
Applications:

Differential calculus has numerous applications in various fields. For instance, in


physics, derivatives are used to describe motion, calculate velocities and
accelerations, and analyze the behavior of dynamic systems.
Optimization:

Derivatives are used to find maximum and minimum values of functions, which is
crucial in optimization problems. For example, in economics, they are used to find
profit-maximizing and cost-minimizing quantities.
Related Rates:

This involves using the concepts of differentiation to solve problems in which


quantities are changing at different rates. This is often applied in physics and
engineering.
Taylor Series and Approximations:

The Taylor series is a way to represent a function as an infinite sum of terms,


which can be used to approximate functions in certain situations.
Implicit Differentiation:

Sometimes, functions are not given explicitly in terms of

x. In such cases, implicit differentiation is used to find the derivative.


Understanding differential calculus is crucial for analyzing the behavior of
functions, modeling dynamic systems, and solving a wide range of problems in
various fields of science and engineering.

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