Introduction

The derivative, $\frac{dy}{dx}$ , is more expressly called the first derivative of $y$ . By differentiating the first derivative, we obtain the second derivative ; by differentiating the second derivative we obtain the third derivative and so on. These second and subsequent derivatives are known as higher derivatives . Second derivatives in particular occur frequently in engineering contexts.

Prerequisites

• be able to differentiate standard functions

Learning Outcomes

• obtain higher derivatives