The power rule is a quick means of finding the
derivative of a
function. To apply the
power rule, take the
exponent and make it the new
coefficient of the
derivative. Now decrement the
exponent by one. The resulting function is the derivative of the original function.
Example
f(x) = x
2
f
1 (x) = 2x
2-1
f
1 (x) = 2x
1
f
1 (x) = 2x
If the
variable has a
coefficient, the
power rule is applied to the
exponent and variable in the above manner and then multiplied by that coefficient, as follows:
f(x) = 4x
3
f
1 (x) = 4 * (3x
2)
f
1 (x) = 12x
2