Netherlands VWO 6 (eindexamenjaar) Mathematics A

1. Change (part 2)

Slope · Derivative

• Derivatives (Class 11): Slope, Rate of Change and Rules – A derivative tells how fast something changes at one moment. On a graph it is the slope of the tangent line. We find it with a limit: take a tiny step h, find the average change, and let h go to 0. Then we learn the quick rules for xⁿ, sin x, cos x, sums, differences, products and quotients.
• Continuity and Differentiability – A function is continuous at a point when its graph has no break there: the left limit, the right limit and the value are all equal. The derivative is the slope of the tangent line. With the chain rule, implicit differentiation, the rules for eˣ, ln x and inverse trig functions, logarithmic differentiation and parametric forms, you can differentiate almost any Class 12 function. The second derivative tells how the slope itself changes, that is, how the curve bends.