Introducing Derivatives
Differentiation allows us to determine rates of change. When we differentiate a function \(f\) , we obtain its derivative function \(f'\) . The value \(f'(x)\) gives the instantaneous rate of change of \(f\) , or the gradient of the tangent to the graph of \(f\) , at that value of \(x\) . There are many practical applications of differentiation that you will meet in your IB subjects and later in your professional...