| Author | Message | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Probe | so this was on my calculus homework: differentiate 3 cos x. i know the derivative of cosx is -sinx, but im not sure how to write it with the 3. is it -3sinx or 3-sinx, is there a difference? or am i dong it wrong? thanks! | October 4, 2006, 8:18 PM |
| rabbit | 3 remains, as it is a coefficient. It's -3sinx, since it is a coefficient. If it was 3+cosx, the derivative would be -sinx (constants drop out). | October 5, 2006, 12:01 AM |
| Rule | [quote author=Probe link=topic=15822.msg159418#msg159418 date=1159993100] so this was on my calculus homework: differentiate 3 cos x. i know the derivative of cosx is -sinx, but im not sure how to write it with the 3. is it -3sinx or 3-sinx, is there a difference? or am i dong it wrong? thanks! [/quote] Is there a difference between 3 - sin(x) and -3*sin(x)? Of course! Is there no difference between (-3)*sin(x) and (3)*(-sin(x))? Of course! | October 5, 2006, 6:19 PM |