 INFORMAL DISCUSSION OF CONTINUITY.

Continuous function: a function is continuous over an interval if it has no break in its graph
Differentiable function: a function which is continuous and where the gradient exists at all points on the function
A function is not differentiable at the point of discontinuity. The point of discontinuity is where there is a gap, hole, or asymptote in the graph. A
function is also not differentiable if the curve is not smooth at one point.
y

Th is fu n ct ion is n ot
x differen t iable at a sin ce t h e cu r ve is
a discon t in u ou s at t h is p oin t .

 THE NOTION OF THE LIMIT OF A FUNCTION AND THE DEFINITION OF CONTINUITY IN TERMS OF THIS NOTION .
CONTINUITY OF IN TERMS OF CONTINUITY OF AND .
Differentiation from first principles: finding the gradient of a tangent to a curve by finding the gradient of the secant between 2 points and finding
the limit as the secant becomes a tangent
To differentiate from first principles, you use the point of contact of the tangent to the curve, and another point close to it on the curve (this is a
secant - a line intersecting two points on a curve). Then you move the second point increasingly closer to the point of contact until they overlap
and the line is at a single point (making it a tangent). To do this, you need to use a limit.

 GRADIENT OF A SECANT TO THE CURVE .

Gradient of a secant: the gradient (slope) of the line between 2 points that
lie close together on a function

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 TANGENT AS THE LIMITING POSITION OF A SECANT. THE GRADIENT OF THE TANGENT. EQUATIONS OF
TANGENT AND NORMAL AT A GIVEN POINT OF THE CURVE .
Gradient of a tangent: the gradient (slope) of a line that is a tangent to the curve at a point on a function; the derivative of the function
How ever, a tangent t o a curve could int ersect t he curve more than once.

The tangent to a curve at a point is the straight line

that touches the curve of that point. A normal is the
line that is perpendicular to the tangent at any given
point.

The w ord tangent comes f rom t he Lat in ‘t angens’, meaning ‘t ouching’. A t angent t o a circle
int ersect s it only once.
A line may only int ersect a curve once but not be a t angent .

 THE GRADIENT OR DERIVATIVE AS A FUNCTION NOTATIONS

GRADIENT
Straight line Curve
When gradient = 0 - intercepts x-axis
When gradient is + - above the x-axis
When gradient is - - below the x-axis
The shape of the curve depends on
3 2
the power, e.g. x becomes x

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NOTATIONS
dy
y - use /dx or y’
f(x) - use f’(x)
d
Find derivative - use /dx

 DIFFERENTIATION OF FOR POSITIVE INTEGRAL . THE TANGENT TO

 DIFFERENTIATION OF AND FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES. FOR THE TWO FUNCTIONS AND ,
DIFFERENTIATION OF ( CONSTANT), THE COMPOSITE FUNCTION RULE.

DIFFERENTIATION OF

SHORT METHODS OF DIFFERENTIATION

Product rule Chain rule Quotient rule
(1st x derivative of 2nd) + y = F(x) u = f(x) (bottom x derivative of top) - (top x derivative of bottom)
2
(2nd x derivative of 1st) y’ = F’(x) x f’(x) bottom
Differentiate from the outside in

FURTHER METHODS OF DIFFERENTIATION

n
The basic rule for differentiating x works for
any rational number n. Sometimes the
function needs to be changed into index
form before differentiating.

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