Delta-K
Journal of the Mathematics Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association
Volume 55 Issue 1, June 2018
19 to 20
Leibniz’s Heuristic Derivation of the Product Rule and Quotient Rule
Indy Lagu
The standard derivations of product rule and quotient rule are algebraic and involve adding zero in a clever way. These proofs are mathematically correct, but not pedagogically illuminating. We present Leibniz’s heuristic derivation of product rule. A heuristic derivation of quotient rule , based on Leibniz’s idea, is also given. While not mathematically rigourous, we believe an approach based on these ideas to be pedagogically superior.
