What is the derivative of cos(-x)?

1 Answer
Jun 9, 2016

d/dxcos(-x) = -sin(x)

Explanation:

Assuming we know that d/dxcos(x) = -sin(x), we could use the chain rule on f@g(x) with f(x) = cos(x) and g(x) = -x.

However, a slightly nicer method is to note that cosine is an even function, meaning cos(-x) = cos(x). Thus

d/dxcos(-x) = d/dxcos(x) = -sin(x)