How do you find the derivative of #y=e^x cos(x)# ?

2 Answers
Aug 5, 2014

This is a type of problem involving the product rule.

The product rule states:

#d/dx[f(x) * g(x)] = f'(x)g(x) + f(x)g'(x)#

So, we will let #f(x) = e^x#, and #g(x) = cos x#.

We know that the derivative of #e^x# is simply #e^x#, and that the derivative of #cos x# is equal to #-sin x#.

(if these identities look unfamiliar to you, I may recommend viewing videos from this page or this page, which explain the derivative rules for #e^x# and #cos x# more in-depth)

Therefore, #f'(x) = e^x#, and #g'(x) = -sin x#. We can then simply substitute into the product rule formula:

#d/dx[e^x cos x] = e^x * (-sin x) + e^x * cos x#

To make this equation a little prettier, we will factor the #e^x#:

#d/dx[e^x cos x] = e^x * (cos x - sin x)#

Jun 14, 2015

#dy/dx=e^x (-sinx)+cosx(e^x)#

Explanation:

When two variables are multiplied in derivative
We Have Formula,
#(d(uv))/dx=u.((d(v))/dx)+ v.((d(u))/dx)#
Question: To find the derivative of #y=e^xcos(x)# ?

Diffentiating both side by #x#
We get :
#dy/dx=(d(e^xcos(x)))/dx#

#dy/dx=e^x ((d(cosx))/dx)+cosx ((d(e^x ))/dx)#

Here,
#(d(cosx))/dx=-sinx# for first derivative.

#dy/dx=e^x (-sinx)+cosx(e^x)#

Which is required solution.