High School Derivative of the product of a function by a constant (possible typo)

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SUMMARY

The discussion identifies a typographical error in a textbook regarding the derivative of a product of a function multiplied by a constant. The original statement incorrectly omits the constant factor during the limit calculation. The correct formulation should explicitly include the constant, leading to the conclusion that the derivative of a constant multiplied by a function is indeed the constant multiplied by the derivative of the function, expressed as \((Cf)'(x) = C \lim_{h \to{0}}{\frac{f(x+h)-f(x)}{h}} = Cf'(x)\).

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  • Understanding of calculus, specifically derivatives
  • Familiarity with limit notation and operations
  • Knowledge of function notation and manipulation
  • Basic algebra skills for handling constants in equations
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  • Review the rules of differentiation, focusing on the constant multiple rule
  • Practice solving derivative problems involving constants and functions
  • Explore advanced topics in calculus, such as the product rule and chain rule
  • Study common typographical errors in mathematical texts and their implications
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mcastillo356
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I think there is a typo in this demo
Hi, PF, I think I've found a typo in my textbook. It says:

"In the case of a multiplication by a constant, we've got

$$(Cf)'(x)=\displaystyle\lim_{h \to{0}}{\dfrac{Cf(x+h)-Cf(x)}{h}}=\displaystyle\lim_{h \to{0}}{\dfrac{f(x+h)-f(x)}{h}}=Cf'(x)$$"

My opinion: it should be

$$(Cf)'(x)=\displaystyle\lim_{h \to{0}}{\dfrac{Cf(x+h)-Cf(x)}{h}}=C\displaystyle\lim_{h \to{0}}{\dfrac{f(x+h)-f(x)}{h}}=Cf'(x)$$

Greetings!
 
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definitely a typo.
 
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