Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Differentiating refers to the process of finding the derivative of a function, which measures its rate of change at any given point. It helps us understand how the function is changing over time or distance.
Related terms
Chain rule: The chain rule is used when differentiating composite functions where one function is applied to another. It allows us to find the derivative of the outer function multiplied by the derivative of the inner function.
Product rule: The product rule is used when differentiating functions that are multiplied together. It helps us find the derivative of each term separately and then combine them using addition.
Quotient rule: The quotient rule comes into play when we need to differentiate functions that are divided by each other. It gives us a formula for finding the derivative by taking derivatives of both numerator and denominator and applying some algebraic manipulation.