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Section 3.9 : Chain Rule

1. Differentiate \(f\left( x \right) = {\left( {6{x^2} + 7x} \right)^4}\) .

Hint : Recall that with Chain Rule problems you need to identify the “inside” and “outside” functions and then apply the chain rule.
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For this problem the outside function is (hopefully) clearly the exponent of 4 on the parenthesis while the inside function is the polynomial that is being raised to the power. The derivative is then,

\[f'\left( x \right) = 4{\left( {6{x^2} + 7x} \right)^3}\left( {12x + 7} \right) = \require{bbox} \bbox[2pt,border:1px solid black]{{4\left( {12x + 7} \right){{\left( {6{x^2} + 7x} \right)}^3}}}\]