Elementary Introduction to Derivatives in Mathematical Modeling

1. Introduction to Derivatives

1.1 What are Derivatives?

• Derivatives are mathematical tools used to measure how a function changes as its input
(or independent variable) changes.

• They help us understand how quantities like distance, speed, and growth rates change
over time or other factors.
𝑑𝑦
• The derivative of a function 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥) is denoted by 𝑑𝑥 or 𝑓 ′ (𝑥).

1.2 Why are Derivatives Important?

• Derivatives are essential in various fields, from physics to finance, as they provide
insights into rates of change and help us optimize processes.

2. Simple Real-life Applications of Derivatives

2.1 Speed and Motion

• Imagine you're driving a car. The speedometer tells you how fast you're going at any
given moment.

• The derivative of your position function with respect to time gives your instantaneous
velocity, which tells you how quickly your position is changing at that moment.

• Similarly, the derivative of velocity with respect to time gives acceleration, indicating
how quickly your speed is changing.

2.2 Growth and Decay

• Consider a population of bacteria growing in a petri dish. The rate at which the
population grows depends on factors like available nutrients and space.

• The derivative of the population function with respect to time gives the rate of
population growth, helping us understand how quickly the population is increasing.

2.3 Economics and Marginal Cost

• In economics, businesses often want to know how much it costs to produce one more
unit of a product. This is called the marginal cost.

• The derivative of the cost function with respect to quantity produced gives the marginal
cost, helping businesses make decisions about production and pricing.

2.4 Optimization Problems

• Suppose you have a piece of wire and want to shape it into a rectangle. You want to
maximize the area of the rectangle while using all the wire.

• By finding the derivative of the area function with respect to one of the rectangle's
dimensions and setting it equal to zero, you can find the dimensions that maximize the
area.
3. Basic Derivative Formulas and Examples

3.1 Power Rule:

𝑑 𝑛
(𝑥 ) = 𝑛𝑥 𝑛−1
𝑑𝑥

Example: Find the derivative of 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 2

Solution:
𝑑 2
(𝑥 ) = 2𝑥 2−1 = 2𝑥
𝑑𝑥
3.2 Constant Rule:

The derivative of a constant is zero.

𝑑
(𝑐) = 0
𝑑𝑥

Example: Find the derivative of 𝑓(𝑥) = 5.

Solution: 𝑓 ′ (𝑥) = 𝑓 ′ (5) = 0

3.3 Constant Multiple Rule:

The derivative of a constant times a function is the constant times the derivative of the function:
𝑑 𝑑
(𝑐𝑓(𝑥)) = 𝑐 ⋅ 𝑓(𝑥)
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥

Example: Find the derivative of 𝑓(𝑥) = 4𝑥 2 .

𝑑 𝑑
Solution: 𝑓′(𝑥) = 𝑑𝑥 (4𝑥 2 ) = 4 𝑑𝑥 (𝑥 2 ) = 4(2𝑥) = 8𝑥.

3.4 Sum and Difference Rules:

The derivative of the sum or difference of two functions is the sum or difference of their
derivatives:
𝑑 𝑑 𝑑
(𝑓(𝑥) ± 𝑔(𝑥)) = 𝑓(𝑥) ± 𝑔(𝑥)
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥

Example: Find the derivative of 𝑓(𝑥) = 2𝑥 3 − 4𝑥 2 + 7.

Solution:
𝑑
𝑓 ′ (𝑥) = (2𝑥 3 − 4𝑥 2 + 7)
𝑑𝑥
𝑑 𝑑 𝑑
= (2𝑥 3 ) − (4𝑥 2 ) + (7)
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥
 𝑑 3 𝑑 𝑑
=2 (𝑥 ) − 4 (𝑥 2 ) + (7)
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥
= 2(3𝑥 2 ) − 4(2𝑥) + 0

= 6𝑥 2 − 8𝑥

4. Exercises
Exercise 1: Speed and Acceleration

You are driving a car, and your position function is given by 𝑠(𝑡) = 3𝑡 2 − 2𝑡 + 5, where s is in
meters and t is in seconds. Calculate:

1. Your velocity at 𝑡 = 2 seconds.

2. Your acceleration at 𝑡 = 2 seconds.

Solution: To find velocity, we need to take the derivative of the position function 𝑠(𝑡) with
respect to time:
𝑑𝑠 𝑑
𝑣(𝑡) = = (3𝑡2 − 2𝑡 + 5) = 6𝑡 − 2
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
1. Substituting 𝑡 = 2:

𝑣(2) = 6(2) − 2 = 12 − 2 = 10 𝑚/𝑠

2. To find acceleration, we take the derivative of velocity with respect to time:

𝑑𝑣 𝑑
𝑎(𝑡) = 𝑑𝑡
= 𝑑𝑡 (6𝑡 − 2) = 6.

Since acceleration is constant, 𝑎(𝑡) = 6 𝑚/𝑠 2 for all 𝑡, including 𝑡 = 2 seconds.

Exercise 2: Population Growth

The population of a city is modeled by the function 𝑃(𝑡) = 5000𝑒 0.03𝑡 , where 𝑃 is in thousands
of people and 𝑡 is in years. Determine the population growth rate when 𝑡 = 10 years.

Solution: To find the population growth rate, we need to calculate the derivative of the
population function 𝑃(𝑡) with respect to time:
𝑑𝑃 𝑑
= (5000𝑒 0.03𝑡 )
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝑃 𝑑 𝑓(𝑥)
𝑑𝑡
= 5000(0.03𝑒 0.03𝑡 ) , because 𝑑𝑥
𝑒 = 𝑓 ′ (𝑥)𝑒 𝑓(𝑥)

Substituting t=10:
𝑑𝑃
= 5000(0.03𝑒 0.03(10) )
𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝑃
= 5000 ⋅ 0.03𝑒 0.3
𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝑃
≈ 5000 ⋅ 0.03 ⋅ 1.3499
𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝑃
≈ 202.485
𝑑𝑡
So, the population growth rate when 𝑡 = 10 years is approximately 202.485 thousand people
per year.

Exercise 3: Marginal Cost

The total cost function for producing x units of a product is given by

𝐶(𝑥) = 1000 + 5𝑥 + 0.01𝑥 2 ,

where 𝐶 is in dollars and 𝑥 is in units.

Find the marginal cost when 𝑥 = 100 units.

Solution: The marginal cost represents the rate of change of the total cost with respect to the
quantity produced. Therefore, we need to find the derivative of the cost function 𝐶(𝑥) with
respect to 𝑥:
𝑑𝐶 𝑑
= (1000 + 5𝑥 + 0.01𝑥 2 )
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥
𝑑𝐶
= 5 + 0.02𝑥
𝑑𝑥
Substituting 𝑥 = 100:
𝑑𝐶
= 5 + 0.02(100)
𝑑𝑥
𝑑𝐶
=7
𝑑𝑥
So, the marginal cost when 𝑥 = 100 units is $7 per unit.