Calculus 1

Section 2.2

Differentiability and Derivative Rules

Differentiability

Not every function has a defined derivative at every point. If a functions derivative is defined at
a point, we say the function is differentiable at that point. There are a number of circumstances that
would cause a function to not be differentiable at a point. First, for a function to be differentiable at a
point, the function must be continuous at that point. However, just because a function is continuous at
a point doesnt necessarily mean it is differentiable at that point. A common example is the absolute
value function, f (x) = |x|. Notice that the function is continuous at 0.

lim |x| = lim |x| = 0

x0+ x0

However, the function is not differentiable at 0. Notice that to the left of 0, the function has a
slope of 1, and to the right of 0 the function has a slope of 1. However, these regions never change
and meet at a common slope. Rather, they meet at a hard corner. Thus, it is impossible to tell if
f 0 (0) is 1 or 1. This means it is neither, and the derivative does not exist.

f(x)=|x|
y

f(x)=-1 f(x)=1

x
The slopes dont meet up nicely,
so the derivative does not exist
at x=0.

Another example is the function g(x) = 3 x. Notice that, again, the function is continuous
everywhere. However, at x = 0, the tangent line is vertical. This means the slope of the line would be
undefined, as it would require dividing by 0 (the run). Once again, this means g 0 (0) does not exist.

1
 f(x)=3x
y

Vertical tangent line means the run is 0, so the

slope, which divides by the run, is undefined.
Thus, the derivative at x=0 does not exist.

In general, if a function is continuous, there are a few things that will make the function not
differentiable at a point:

1. A corner, such as with the absolute value function. This indicates a not-smooth change in the
derivative of the function, and so the derivative to the left or right conflict. Thus, determining
the derivative at that point is impossible.
2. The function having a vertical tangent line at a point, as with the cube root function. Again,
this means the slope of the tangent line, or the derivative, is undefined.

3. An oscillating function. This is not continuous either, but it may look continuous. Just remember,
that for a function to be differentiable, it must be continuous.

4. For a function whos domain has an endpoint, such as x = 0 for x, the functions derivative
does not exist at the endpoint. Again, it is technically not continuous here either since continuity
requires the limits from both sides be defined and equal to the function at the point being
considered.
If a function is differentiable at every point in its domain, we say the function is differentiable.

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Differentiation Rules for Combining Functions

Due to the limit definition of a derivative, certain derivatives can be simplified. For example,
consider two functions f (x) and g(x).
d f (x + x) + g(x + x) f (x) g(x) f (x + x) f (x) + g(x + x) g(x)
[f (x)+g(x)] = lim = lim =
dx x0 x x0 x
And, since the limit of the sum of two functions is equal to the sum of the limits of the functions
separately:

f (x + x) f (x) g(x + x) g(x) d d

lim + lim = (f (x)) + (g(x))
x0 x x0 x dx dx

Notice that this would also work for subtracting functions. Also, a constant being multiplied by
a function can be pulled out of a limit, and thus it can be pulled out of a derivative:
d af (x + x) af (x) f (x + x) f (x) f (x + x) f (x) d
[af (x)] = lim = lim a = a lim = a (f (x))
dx x0 x x0 x x0 x dx
This leads to three rules:

The sum rule: The derivative of the sum of two functions is equal to the sum of the derivatives
d
of the functions separately. That is, dx d
[f (x) + g(x)] = dx d
(f (x)) + dx (g(x)) = f 0 (x) + g 0 (x).

The difference rule: The derivative of the difference of two functions is equal to the difference
of the derivatives of the functions separately in the original order they appeared in. That is,
d d d 0 0 0 0
dx [f (x) g(x)] = dx (f (x)) dx (g(x)) = f (x) g (x) 6= g (x) f (x).

The constant coefficient rule: The derivative of a function multiplied by a constant is equal
d
to the constant multiplied by the derivative of the function. That is, if a is a real constant, dx [af (x)] =
d 0
a dx (f (x)) = a f (x).
Unfortunately, this doesnt work for all arithmetic operations. For example, consider the following
derivative:
d f (x + x) g(x + x) g(x) f (x)
[f (x) g(x)] = lim
dx x0 x
Adding and subtracting f (x) g(x + x) to the numerator yields:
f (x + x) g(x + x) + f (x)g(x + x) f (x)g(x + x) g(x) f (x)
lim
x0 x
And then the numerator can be factored to yield:
g(x + x) (f (x + x) f (x)) + f (x)(g(x + x) g(x))
lim
x0 x
Then, we can use the product rule and sum rule for limits to turn the limit into:
f (x + x) f (x) g(x + x) g(x)
lim lim g(x+x)+ lim lim f (x) = f 0 (x)g(x)+g 0 (x)f (x)
x0 x x0 x0 x x0

This is the product rule. Clearly, it is not as nice as the sum and difference rules or the constant
coefficient rule. This is also true for the quotient rule, summarized on the next page.

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 The product rule: The derivative of the product of two functions is equal to the first function
times the derivative of the second function plus the derivative of the first function times the second
d
function. That is, dx d
[f (x) g(x)] = f (x) dx d
(g(x)) + dx (f (x))g(x) = f (x)g 0 (x) + f 0 (x)g(x).

The quotient rule: The derivative of the quotient of two functions is equal to the denominator
times the derivative of the numerator minus the numerator minus the derivative of the denominator,
d f (x) g(x)f 0 (x)f (x)g 0 (x)
all divided by the denominator squared. That is, dx [ g(x) ] = (g(x))2 . A helpful
mnemonic to remember this rule is "low d high minus h d low all above the square of whats below",
where "low" and "high" mean the denominator and the numerator respectively and "d" means the
derivative of.

Proving the quotient rule requires another rule discussed later in this section. Doing so will be a
problem in the exercises.

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Differentiation Rules for Families of Functions

The limit definition of a derivative will always work provided that the function being considered
is differentiable. However, using the limit definition can become tedious and repetitive. Thankfully,
there are derivative rules for different families of functions that allow one to find the derivative of
certain functions more quickly than with the limit definition.

The constant rule: The derivative of a constant function is always 0. That is, if c is a real
constant and f (x) = c, then f 0 (x) = 0. This is because a derivative represents the rate of change of a
function. However, constant functions do not change. Thus, their derivatives are 0.

The power rule: This rule works for polynomials and radical functions. If n is a real con-
stant such that n 6= 0, then if f (x) = xn , f 0 (x) = nxn1 . Notice that if n = 0, the function
is constant and so the derivative can be found with the rule above. This can also be applied to
the function f (x) = x1 = (x)1 . Then, f 0 (x) = (1)x2 = x12 . Additionally, recall that radical
1
functions can be written as functions with fractional exponents. For example, if f (x) = 3 x = x 3 ,
1 2
f 0 (x) = ( 13 )x 3 1 = ( 13 )x 3 = ( 3 31x2 )
The exponential rule: Recall that ln(x) = loge (x). Then, if a is a real constant such that
a 6= 0, if f (x) = ax , f 0 (x) = ln(a)ax . Recall that ln(e) = 1, and so this leads to the fascinating fact
d
that dx [ex ] = ex . This makes sense; as x increases, ex increases and the rate at which it increases also
increases. In fact, these values increase together and equally.

Basic Trigonometric Rules: The derivative of a trigonometric function is another trigono-

metric function. Refer to the table below for the specific derivatives of such functions.

f (x) f 0 (x)
sin(x) cos(x)
cos(x) sin(x)
tan(x) sec2 (x)
csc(x) csc(x)cot(x)
sec(x) sec(x)tan(x)
cot(x) csc2 (x)

To remember these derivatives, just realize that the derivatives of "co" functions are negative
d
and "opposite" of their corresponding function. For example, dx (sec(x)) = sec(x)tan(x), and so to
d
find dx (csc(x)), negate the derivative of secant and swap sec(x) to csc(x) and tan(x) to cot(x).

d 1
The logarithm rule: If b is a real constant such that b > 0 and b 6= 1, then dx logb (x) = ln(b)x .
1
If b = e, then the function becomes ln(x) and the derivative is ln(e)x = x1 .

The chain rule: The chain rule is for composite functions. If f (x) and g(x) are real valued,
d
differentiable functions, then dx [f (g(x))] = f 0 (g(x)) g 0 (x). For example, consider the function
0 d d
h(x) = sin(x ). Then, h (x) = cos(x2 ) 2x, because dx
2
(sin(x)) = cos(x) and dx (x2 ) = 2x. The chain
rule is also used for implicit differentiation, in which y is not necessarily expressed in terms of just
x, but rather both sides of the function may contain either, both, or no variables. More on this later!

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 Inverse Trigonometric Rules: Inverse trig functions are also differentiable at most points.
However, counterintuitively, the derivatives of inverse trigonometric functions are fractional functions,
not other inverse trig functions. The derivatives of such functions are given in the table below.

f (x) f 0 (x)
arcsin(x)=sin1 (x) 1
1x2
1 1
arccos(x)=cos (x) 1x

2
1 1
arctan(x)=tan (x) x1 +1
1
arccsc(x)=csc (x) |x|1x2 1
arcsec(x)=sec1 (x) 1
|x| x2 1
arccot(x)=cot1 (x) x11+1

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Examples

Here are a few examples to test the concepts provided in this section. Answers can be found on
the following pages.

1. Find the derivatives of the following functions:

a. f (x) = 3x3 + 4x2 5x + 4

b. f (x) = 7 ex

c. f (x) = sin(x)cos(x)

2. Use the chain rule to prove the quotient rule. Hint: 1

f (x) = (f (x))1 .

3. Use the chain rule to find the derivatives of the following functions:
3
a. f (x) = ex

b. f (x) = ln( x)

2)
c. f (x) = esin(x

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Solutions

These are the solutions to the questions on the previous page

1. Remember the rules for different families of functions and the sum, difference, and product rules.

a. The function can be differentiated by differentiating the terms separately and then combining
them. The derivative of 3x3 is 3 times the derivative of x3 . The derivative of x3 is 3x31 = 3x2 .
Then, multiplying this by 3 yields 9x2 . Repeating this process with the second term we have 4
times 2x, or 8x. Then, the next term yields 5 and the final term is a constant, so its derivative
is 0. Combining these, we get f 0 (x) = 9x2 + 8x 5.

d d
b. Due to the constant coefficient rule, dx [7 ex ] = 7 x
dx (e ) = 7 ex , since ex is its own
derivative. Thus, f 0 (x) = 7 ex .

c. The derivative of sin(x) is cos(x), and the derivative of cos(x) is sin(x). Thus, by the product
rule, f 0 (x) = sin(x) (sin(x)) + cos(x) cos(x) = sin2 (x) + cos2 (x) = cos2 (x) sin2 (x)

f (x)
2. Write g(x) as f (x) (g(x))1 . Then, to take the derivative, we use the product rule:

d df (x) d
[f (x) (g(x))1 ] = (g(x))1 + f (x) [(g(x)) 1]
dx dx dx

Then, we use the chain rule and the power rule to evaluate the derivative in the second term.
Also, we can rewrite (g(x))1 as a fraction again in the first term.

f 0 (x)
+ f (x) (1) (g(x))2 g 0 (x)
g(x)

Next, realize that (g(x))2 = 1

(g(x))2
.

f 0 (x) f (x)g 0 (x)

g(x) (g(x))2

g(x)
Then multiply the first term of the expression by g(x) = 1.

f 0 (x)g(x) f (x)g 0 (x) g(x)f 0 (x) f (x)g 0 (x)

2
2
=
(g(x)) (g(x)) (g(x))2

This is the quotient rule, and so it has been proven. Q.E.D..

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3. Remember the rules for families of functions when using the chain rule.

a. The derivative of x3 is 3x2 from the power rule, and the derivative of ex is ex , from the
3
exponential rule. Thus, from the chain rule, f 0 (x) = 3x2 ex .

1 1
b. Recall that the derivative of x is 21 x 2 1 = 21 x 2 = 1

2 x
. Also, the derivative of ln(x)
1 0 1 1 1
is x. Thus, from the chain rule, f (x) = x

2 x
= 2x .

c. Notice this is a three part composite function. The derivative of ex is ex , so f 0 (x) =

sin(x2 )
e h(x) where h(x) = d 2
dx [sin(x )].
Then recall that the derivative of sin(x) is cos(x),
and the derivative of x is 2x. Thus, h(x) = 2xcos(x2 ). Then, putting this together, we have
2
2
f 0 (x) = 2xcos(x2 )esin(x ) .