NEKG33 Mathematical methods for economists
Chapter 6 : Day 06: Derivatives
By Lund University
Economists love derivatives. Will you?
Basic derivatives
This section introduces derivatives. It begins by defining the tangent, a straight line that just touches the graph of the function. The slope of this tangent is precisely the derivative of the function at the touching point. We will return to the formal definition of a derivative later on in the course. We then look at rules which will help us finding the derivative of a function. There is a lot more to say about derivatives but we will come back to this in the second half of the course. One lecture is missing: a lecture on increasing / decreasing functions.
Introduction to derivatives
Derivatives and its relationship to increasing and decreasing functions
Rules for differentiation
Basic derivatives: Problems
Exercises on derivatives