What Does Derivatives Mean in Real World
Introduction to Derivatives It is all about slope! Slope = Change in Y Change in X We can find an average slope between two points. But how do we find the slope at a point ? There is nothing to measure! But with derivatives we use a small difference ... ... then have it shrink towards zero . Let us Find a Derivative! To find the derivative of a function y = f(x) we use the slope formula: Slope = Change in Y Change in X = Δy Δx And (from the diagram) we see that: x changes from x to x+Δx y changes from f(x) to f(x+Δx) Now follow these steps: Fill in this slope formula: Δy Δx = f(x+Δx) − f(x) Δx Simplify it as best we can Then make Δx shrink towards zero. Like this: Example: the function f(x) = x 2 We know f(x) = x 2 , and we can calculate f(x +Δx ) : Start with: f(x +Δx ) = (x +Δx ) 2 Expand (x + Δx) 2 : f(x +Δx ) = x 2 + 2x Δx + (Δx) 2 The slope formula is: f(x+Δx) − f(x) Δx Put in f(x +Δx