Illustrated · 1 min
To differentiate polynomials you have to first identify the variable and constant terms in the equation. y = 6x^3 + 7x^2 + 4x + 2 The variable terms are 6x3, 7x^2, and 4x The constant term is 2. Then you multiply the coefficients of each variable term by the exponent. 6x^3 = 6 x 3 = 18 7x^2 = 7x 2 = 14 4x = 4 x 1 = 4 After this you would lower each exponent by one degree. 6x^3 = 6x^2 7x^2 = 7x^1 4x = 4 Next you replace the old coefficients and old exponents with their new counterparts. 6x^3 becomes 18x^2 7x^2 becomes 14x 4x becomes 4 The derivative of the polynomial y = 6x^3 + 7x^2 + 4x + 2 is y = 18x^2 + 14x + 4 Finally you would find the value of the new equation with a given "x" value. If the given "x" value is 2 y = 18x^2+14x+4 = 18 x 2^2 + 14x 2 + 4 = y = 72 + 28 + 4 = 104 The value of the equation at x = 2 is 104.

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