AoPSWiki
Want to learn how to tackle those tough AMC/AIME/Olympiad counting and probability problems? Check out Art of Problem Solving's NEW Intermediate Counting & Probability by David Patrick.

Derivative/Formal definition

From AoPSWiki

The derivative of a function is defined as the instantaneous rate of change of the function at a certain point. For a line, this is just the slope. For more complex curves, we can find the rate of change between two points on the curve easily since we can draw a line through them.

Image:derivative1.PNG

In the image above, the rate of change between the two points is the slope of the line that goes through them: .

We can move the second point closer to the first one to find a more accurate value of the derivative. Thus, taking the limit as goes to 0 will give us the derivative of the function at :

Image:derivative2.PNG


f'(x) = \lim_{h\to 0}\frac{f(x+h)-f(x)}h.

If this limit exists, it is the derivative of at . If it does not exist, we say that is not differentiable at .

See also

Stay informed about new Art of Problem Solving developments.
Click here to join our mailing lists.
© Copyright 2007 AoPS Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. • FoundationPrivacyContact Us