Differentiation Formulas
Calculus Tool Reference
1. Fundamental Rules
| Rule Name | Formula |
|---|---|
| 1. Constant Rule | $$ \frac{d}{dx}(C) = 0 $$ |
| 2. Constant Multiple | $$ \frac{d}{dx}[c \cdot f(x)] = c \cdot f'(x) $$ |
| 3. Sum/Difference | $$ \frac{d}{dx}[f(x) \pm g(x)] = f'(x) \pm g'(x) $$ |
| 4. Product Rule | $$ \frac{d}{dx}(uv) = u’v + uv’ $$ |
| 5. Quotient Rule | $$ \frac{d}{dx}\left(\frac{u}{v}\right) = \frac{u’v – uv’}{v^2} $$ |
2. Algebraic & Exponential
Power Rule ($$ x^n $$)
$$ nx^{n-1} $$
$$ nx^{n-1} $$
Exponential ($$ e^x $$)
$$ e^x $$
$$ e^x $$
General Exp ($$ a^x $$)
$$ a^x \ln a $$
$$ a^x \ln a $$
Log ($$ \ln x $$)
$$ \frac{1}{x} $$
$$ \frac{1}{x} $$
3. Trigonometric Functions
| Function | Derivative |
|---|---|
| $$ \sin x $$ | $$ \cos x $$ |
| $$ \cos x $$ | $$ -\sin x $$ |
| $$ \tan x $$ | $$ \sec^2 x $$ |
| $$ \cot x $$ | $$ -\csc^2 x $$ |
| $$ \sec x $$ | $$ \sec x \tan x $$ |
| $$ \csc x $$ | $$ -\csc x \cot x $$ |
*Hint: All functions starting with ‘c’ have a negative derivative