Derivatives in Differential Form


In Exercises 17–28, find dy.


y = cos(x²)

Find all points on the curve y = tan x, −π/2 < x < π/2, where the tangent line is parallel to the line y = 2x. Sketch the curve and tangent lines together, labeling each with its equation.

Derivative Calculations

In Exercises 1–12, find the first and second derivatives.

y = x³/3 + x²/2 + x/4

Finding g on a small airless planet Explorers on a small airless planet used a spring gun to launch a ball bearing vertically upward from the surface at a launch velocity of 15 m/sec. Because the acceleration of gravity at the planet’s surface was gₛ m/sec², the explorers expected the ball bearing to reach a height of s = 15t − (1/2)gₛt² m t sec later. The ball bearing reached its maximum height 20 sec after being launched. What was the value of gₛ?

Approximation Error

In Exercises 29–34, each function f(x) changes value when x changes from x₀ to x₀ + dx. Find

a. the change Δf = f(x₀ + dx) − f(x₀);

b. the value of the estimate df = fʹ(x₀) dx; and

c. the approximation error |Δf − df|.

f(x) = x⁴, x₀ = 1, dx = 0.1

Derivative of multiples Does knowing that a function g(t) is differentiable at t = 7 tell you anything about the differentiability of the function 3g at t = 7? Give reasons for your answer.

Find the derivatives of the functions in Exercises 1–42.

𝔂 = 2 tan² x - sec² x