Differentiation:

CLASS NOTES / Composite, Implicit

GUIDED PRACTICE and Inverse Functions

FUN AP CALCULUS AB AVON HIGH SCHOOL MR. RECORD

1 Topic: 3.1 The Chain Rule Days: 23 & 24
Learning Objective FUN-3.C: Calculate derivatives of compositions of differentiable functions.

Let’s introduce this new differentiation technique by showing you the types of functions that would require its
use. The table below illustrates pairs of similar functions that can be differentiated with and without the Chain
Rule.
Can be Differentiated WITHOUT the Chain Rule Must be Differentiated WITH the Chain Rule
y  x2  1 y  x2  1
y  sin x y  sin 6x
y  3x  2 y   3x  2 
5

y  x  tan x y  x  tan  x2 

The Chain Rule

If y  f (u) is a differentiable function of u and u  g(x) is a differentiable function of x,
then y  f ( g( x)) is a differentiable function of x and
dy dy du d
   f ( g ( x))  f   g ( x)   g( x)
dx du dx or equivalently dx

Decomposing Composite Think of the inner function u  g( x)

Functions u  g(x) as being the bubble gum center of
Example 1: Complete the a Charms® Blow Pop.
columns in the chart below. The outer function y  f (u) y  f (u) as
being the candy shell.

y  f (g(x)) Rewrite using u  g(x) “Bubble Gum” y  f (u) “Candy Shell”

parentheses
1
a. y
x 1
b. y  sin 2x

c. y  3x 2  x  1

d. y  tan 2 x

1
 dy
Example 2: Find for y  ( x 2  1)3
dx

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 1

The General Power Rule (“Chain Rule Short-Cut”)

If y   u ( x) , where u is a differentiable function of x and n is a rational number, then
n

dy Scan the QR
n 1 du
 n  u ( x)   Code above to
dx dx watch a video
covering
or equivalently Example 2

d n
u   nu n1  u.
dx
dy
Example 3: Find for each of the following.
dx

a. y  (3x  2 x 2 )3

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 3

b. y  3 ( x2  1)2

7
c. y 
(2 x  3)2

2
Trigonometric Functions and the Chain Rule
The “Chain Rule versions” of the derivatives of the six trigonometric functions are as follows
d d
sin u    cos u   u  cos u     sin u   u
dx dx
d
dx
 
 tan u   sec2 u  u
d
dx
 
 cot u    csc2 u  u
d d
sec u    sec u tan u   u  csc u     csc u cot u   u
dx dx

Example 4: Find the derivative of each trigonometric function.

a. y  sin 2x b. y  cos(3x 1) c. y  sec4x

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 4

Repeated Use of the Chain Rule

It is not uncommon for certain compositions of functions to require two uses of the Chain Rule.

Example 5: Find the derivative of each trigonometric function.

 x
a. y  sin 4 3x b. y  sec  
 2

2  3x 
c. y  cot 3  
 2

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 5
3
Natural Logarithmic and Exponential Functions

Derivative of the Natural Logarithmic Function

d 1 d 1 du u
Recall: ln x  , x  0 Chain Rule Version: lnu    , u  0
dx x dx u dx u

The following properties from Algebra II will be useful in calculus when dealing with natural logarithms.

Logarithmic Properties
If a and b are positive numbers and n is rational, then the following properties are true.
1. ln(1)  0 2. ln(ab)  lna  lnb
a
3. ln(an )  nlna 4. ln   lna  lnb
b

Example 6: Find the derivative of each.

a. y  ln(2x) b. y  ln( x2  1)

c. y  x ln  sin x  d. y  (ln x)3

 x( x2  1)2 
e. y  ln  .
 2 x 3
 1 

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 6

4
 Derivative of the Exponential Function (base e)
d x d u du
Recall e   e x Chain Rule Version: e   eu   eu  u
dx dx dx

Example 7: Find the derivative of each function.

1
2 x3 3 x
a. y  e b. y  e x

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 7

Definition of Exponential Function to Base a

If a is a positive number (not equal to 1) and x is any real number, then the exponential function to the base a is
denoted by a x and is defined by: ax  e(lna)x

Definition of Logarithmic Function to Base a

If a is a positive number (not equal to 1) and x is any real number, then the logarithmic function to the base a is
1
denoted by loga x and is defined as: loga x  ln x
lna

Derivatives for Bases Other Than e

d x d u du
a   (lna)ax Chain Rule Version: a   (lna)au 
dx dx dx
d 1 d 1 du
loga x   Chain Rule Version: loga u  
dx lna  x dx lna u dx

Example 8: Find the derivative of each of the following.

a. y  2 x b. y  23 x c. y  log10 cos x

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 8
5
Chain Rule Differentiation Using Data Tables

Example 9: The values of two differentiable functions, f ( x) and g ( x) , along with their derivatives are
given in the table below for several values of x.

x f ( x) f ( x) g ( x) g ( x )
1 5 1 1 2

2 4 1 3 3
2
3 3 1 4 1

4 2 1 5 1

1
5 1 0 6 
2
6 2 1 4 2

a. Given h( x)  f  g ( x)  , find h(2) . b. Given j( x)  g  f ( x)  , find j (1) .

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 9

6
 FUN AP CALCULUS AB AVON HIGH SCHOOL MR. RECORD
Topic: 3.2 Implicit Differentiation Days: 24 & 25
1
Learning Objective FUN-3.D: Calculate derivatives of implicitly defined functions.

Explicit Functions vs Implicit Relations

Up to this point, you have learned how to differentiate functions that are expressed in an explicit form.
We will now take a closer look at relations written in an implicit form. Note the differences in the two types of
functions from the table below.

Explicitly Written Functions Implicitly Written Equations

y  x 1
2
x2  2 y3  4 y  2
f ( x)  4 x 3  2 x  1 xy  2 x2  y3  x  y

Example 1: Differentiating with Respect to x.

Find each derivative.

d 3 d 3
x   y 
dx   dx  
a. b.

Scan the QR
Code above to
d d
 x  y   xy 2   watch a video
dx  
c. d. covering
dx Example 1

Guidelines for Implicit Differentiation

1. Differentiate both sides of the equation with respect to x.
dy
2. Collect all terms involving on the left side of the equation and move all the other terms to the right side of
dx
the equation.
dy
3. Factor out of the left side of the equation.
dx
dy dy
4. Solve for by dividing both sides of the equation by the left-hand factor that does not contain .
dx dx

dy
Example 2: Find for y3  y 2  5 y  x2  4
dx

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
7 covering
Example 2
Example 3: Consider the equation x2  4 y 2  4 .

a. Sketch a graph of the relation on the coordinate plane provided.

TI-Nspire Tip: You can graph this (and many
other) implicit relations three different ways.
Method 1: Press b, Option 3: Graph/Entry, Option 2
Relation Type in the relation (equation) just as it
appears on your HW Worksheet. This only works for
most every relation.
Method 2: On a graph page, enter f1(x) as
f1(x) = zeros(x2+4y2-4,y). This method will not
work very well with more complicated relations.
Method 3: On a graph page, press b, 3: Graph/Entry Edit,
3: Equation Templates, 4: Ellipse (in the case of Ex. 3)
and enter the values of your relation in the correct
boxes. Be sure set your relation equal to 1 first.

Tech Tip: You can also graph relations like these

very easily using Desmos. I prefer to
use Desmos for more complicated relations.

dy
b. Find for the equation above.
dx

 1 
c. Find the slope of the tangent line to the curve at the point  2, .
 2

 1 
d. Write the equation of the tangent line drawn to the curve at the point  2, .
 2
Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 3

e. Write the equation above explicitly and use your TI graphing calculator to verify your graph from part a.
Next, take it’s derivative explicitly and compare the result with part b.

8
Example 4: Find the slope of the graph of 3( x2  y 2 )2  100 xy at the
point (3, 1). Sketch the above relation using Desmos.

Sketch of 3( x2  y 2 )2  100 xy using Desmos

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 4

Logarithmic Differentiation (Optional Topic not tested on the AP Calculus Exam)

Example 5: How many of the following derivatives can you answer correctly? Take 1 minute and find out.

d e d x d e d x
e  e  x  x 
dx   dx   dx   dx  
a. b. c. d.

Scan the QR
Code above
to watch a
video
covering
Example 5
Part d. above is problematic for us using the differentiation rules that we know.
Whenever a variable appears in both the numerator and denominator, we must use a technique called
logarithmic differentiation.

Example 6: Find the derivative of y  x 2 x , x  0.

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 6

9
 How could you take the derivative of y  2 x without using the formula
THINK ABOUT IT
dy
 ln(2)  2x ?
dx
Try an alternate approach that utilizes logarithmic differentiation here.

You could use logarithmic differentiation instead and never have to worry about using the formula ever again.

( x  2) 2
Example 7: Find the derivative of y  using logarithmic differentiation.
x2  1

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 7

10
 FUN AP CALCULUS AB AVON HIGH SCHOOL MR. RECORD
Topic: 3.3 Differentiating Inverse Functions Days: 26 & 27
1
Learning Objective FUN-3.E: Calculate derivatives of inverse and inverse trigonometric functions.

This works when it is easy to generate the inverse function while solving for y.
On the AP Calculus Exam, this is rarely if ever possible.
Step 1: Find the inverse function by interchanging x and y and solving for y.
Step 2: Take the derivative of this new y. That will be the derivative of the inverse
function.
Step 3: Plug in your given k value (which is some value for x).

Example 1: If f ( x)  x2 , x  0 , find the derivative of f 1 ( x) at x  4.

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 1

This method is used when finding the inverse of the function any solving for the y is
difficult or impossible.
Step 1: Find the inverse function by interchanging x and y. (Don’t solve for y)
dy
Step 2: Find implicitly
dx
dy
Step 3: Solve for . It will be in terms of y.
dx
Step 4: Replace the value of k for x in your inverse function from Step 1 above and
solve for y.
dy
Step 5: Plug that value of y into .
dx

Example 2: Find the derivative of the inverse function of f ( x)  x3  4 x2  7 x  1 at x  1 .

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 2

11
 Example 3: Find the derivative of the inverse function of f ( x)  e x +ln x at x  3.

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 3

It’s possible that Method 2 can be streamlined a bit by using the following formula.

The Derivative of an Inverse Function

Let f be a function that is differentiable on an interval I. If f has an
inverse function f 1 , then f 1 is differentiable at any x for which
f ( f 1 ( x))  0 . Moreover,

  f 1  ( x) 
1
f ( f 1 ( x))

Example 4: Find the derivative of the inverse function of f ( x)  x+sin x at x   using the formula above.

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 4

1 3
Example 5: Find the derivative of the inverse function of f ( x)  x +x 1 at x  3 using the formula
4
above.

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 5

12
Example 6: Selected values of a strictly monotonic function g(x) and its derivative g ( x ) are
shown on the table below.

x 3 1 1 4
g( x) 5 1 0 3 Scan the QR
1 1 Code above to
g( x) 4   2 watch a video
5 6 covering
Example 6

a. Find g 1  1
  b. Find g 1   3
 

13
 FUN AP CALCULUS AB AVON HIGH SCHOOL MR. RECORD
Topic: 3.4 Differentiating Inverse Trigonometric Day: 27
1 Functions

Learning Objective FUN-3.E: Calculate derivatives of inverse and inverse trigonometric functions.

To complete our study of differentiation and inverse functions, we will now focus on taking the derivatives of
the six inverse trigonometric functions

THEOREM: Derivatives of the Six Inverse Derivatives of Basic Inverse Trigonometric

Trigonometric Functions (Chain Rule) Functions
Let u be a function of x.
d u d u
arcsinu  arccosu 
dx 1  u2 dx 1  u2

d u d u
arctanu  2 arccotu  2
dx 1u dx 1u

d u d u
arcsecu  arccscu 
dx u u2  1 dx u u2  1

dy
Let y  arcsin x. How could we find without using an inverse trigonometric function?
dx

Example 1: Find each of the following derivatives.

d d
arcsin  2 x  arctan 3x 
dx  dx 
a. b.
Long Method

y  arcsin(2 x)
sin y  2 x
d d
sin y    2 x
dx dx
dy
cos y   2
dx
dy 2 2
 
dx cos y 1  4 x2

14
 sec  e 
d  1  d  1 2 x  2
c. tan x d.
dx  dx 

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 1

15
 FUN AP CALCULUS AB AVON HIGH SCHOOL MR. RECORD
Topic: 3.6 Calculating Higher-Order Derivatives Day: 28
1
Learning Objective FUN-3.F: Determine higher order derivatives of a function.

Just as you can obtain a velocity function from differentiating a position function, you can obtain an
acceleration function by differentiating a velocity function.

s(t ) Position function

v(t )  s(t ) Velocity function
a(t )  v(t )  s(t ) Acceleration function

Common Higher Order Derivative Notation

First derivative y f ( x) dy Why does the notation for the
dx second derivative look like
Second derivative y f ( x) d2y d2y ?
dx 2 dx 2
Third derivative y f ( x) d3y Think of it as taking the
dx3 derivative of the first
Fourth derivative d4y
derivative, or
y (4) f (4) ( x)  dy 
dx 4 d 
 dx  .
nth derivative y(n) f ( n ) ( x) dny
dx
dx n The notation above can be
condensed to
Example 1: Find f ( x) if f ( x)  2 x3  cos x  ln x  e x d2y .
dx 2

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 1
Example 2: Back to the Burj Khalifa
Let’s revisit a scenario from our first week of class. Suppose a ball is dropped from the top story of the
Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, 2717 feet from the ground. The position equation that depicts the height
s(t), in feet, the ball is from the ground at time t, in seconds, is modeled by s(t )  16t 2  10t  2717 .

a. Compute the velocity of the ball at b. Compute the acceleration of the

t  5. ball at t  5 .

c. When will the ball hit the ground? d. What will the velocity of the ball
be at impact with the ground?

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video 16
covering
Example 2
 Example 3: Because the moon has no atmosphere, a falling object on the moon
encounters no air resistance. In 1971, astronaut David Scott demonstrated that a feather and
a hammer fall at the same rate on the moon. The position function for each of these falling
objects is given by
s(t )  0.81t 2  2
where s(t ) is the height in meters and t is the time in seconds. What is the ratio of the
earth’s gravitational force to the moon’s?

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 3

Example 4: A Challenging Second Derivative

Find y (t ) when y(t )  csc t

Scan the QR
Code above to
watch a video
covering
Example 4

17