Find the second, third, and fourth derivatives of y=2x3.
Solution Since y is a power function, we use the Simple Power Rule and the Constant Multiple Rule to find each derivative. The first derivative is y′=ddx(2x3)=2⋅ddxx3=2⋅3x2=6x2
The next three derivatives are
y″
y'''=\dfrac{d^{3}}{dx^{3}}( 2x^{3}) =\dfrac{d}{dx}( 12x) =12
y^{(4)}=\dfrac{d^{4}}{dx^{4}}( 2x^{3}) =\dfrac{d}{dx}12=0