chain rule

chain rule, in calculus, basic method for differentiating a composite function. If f(x) and g(x) are two functions, the composite function f(g(x)) is calculated for a value of x by first evaluating g(x) and then evaluating the function f at this value of g(x), thus “chaining” the results together; for instance, if f(x) = sin x and g(x) = x2, then f(g(x)) = sin x2, while g(f(x)) = (sin x)2. The chain rule states that the derivative D of a composite function is given by a product, as D(f(g(x))) = Df(g(x)) ∙ Dg(x). In other words, the first factor on the right, Df(g(x)), indicates that the derivative of f(x) is first found as usual, and then x, wherever it occurs, is replaced by the function g(x). In the example of sin x2, the rule gives the result D(sin x2) = Dsin(x2) ∙ D(x2) = (cos x2) ∙ 2x.


The chain rule has been known since Isaac Newton and Leibniz first discovered the calculus at the end of the 17th century. The rule facilitates calculations that involve finding the derivatives of complex expressions, such as those found in many physics applications.