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The nth derivative

Published: 01 March 2002 Publication History
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  • Abstract

    The following problem is one that many first year calculus students find quite difficult:Given a formula for a function f in a variable x, find a formula for its nth derivative.Example 1.1: [1, p. 229] Iff(x) = xm, (1)then its nth derivative isf(n) (x) = m-nxm-n, (2)wherem-n = m(m - 1) (m - 2) ⋅⋅⋅ (m - n + 1).The difficulties for students include, first, the discovery of a formula valid for all integers n and, second, the proof (for example, by induction) that the formula is correct. Can computer algebra systems do better?It is certain that Macsyma could (we remember commands for infinite Taylor series expansion of elementary functions, and that necessarily involves discovering a correct formula for the nth derivative of the input). Currently, Maple cannot---at least, not without help, just with one command, now that the Formal Power Series package in the share library is no longer supported.

    References

    [1]
    G. H. HARDY, A Course of Pure Mathematics, Cambridge University Press, 10th ed., 1952.
    [2]
    W. RUDIN, Real And Complex Analysis, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1987.

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    Published In

    cover image ACM SIGSAM Bulletin
    ACM SIGSAM Bulletin  Volume 36, Issue 1
    March 2002
    15 pages
    ISSN:0163-5824
    DOI:10.1145/565145
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    Association for Computing Machinery

    New York, NY, United States

    Publication History

    Published: 01 March 2002
    Published in SIGSAM Volume 36, Issue 1

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