notation for differentiation

This notation suggests that perhaps derivatives can be treated like fractions, which is true in limited ways in some circumstances. (For example with the chain rule .) This is also called differential notation , where dy and dx are differentials . This notation becomes very useful when dealing with differential equations. So, those are the most commonly used notations for differentiation. It's possible that there exist other, obscure notations used by a some, but these obscure forms won't be included here. It's helpful to be familiar with the different notations.