Chapter 5
Differentiation Rules
IN THIS CHAPTER
Mastering the basic differentiation rules
Graduating to expert rules
Differentiating inverse functions
In this chapter I give you shortcut techniques for finding derivatives that avoid the difficulties of limits and the difference quotient. Then, after you absorb this somewhat tedious material, Chapters 6 and 7 show you how to use the derivative to solve all sorts of interesting problems.
Basic Differentiation Rules
Calculus can be difficult, but you’d never know it judging by this section. Learning these few basic rules is a snap.
The constant rule
This is simple.
is a horizontal line with a slope of zero, and thus its derivative is also zero. So, for any number c, if 
, then 
. Or you can write 
. End of story.
The power rule
Say . To find its ...
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