The document discusses various methods for computing derivatives and solving differential equations in MATLAB. Some key points:
- MATLAB's diff command is used to compute symbolic derivatives of functions. It can find 1st, 2nd and higher order derivatives.
- Common rules of differentiation like product rule, quotient rule, chain rule are demonstrated. Derivatives of exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions are provided.
- Finding critical points/stationary points of a function involves taking the derivative and setting it equal to zero.
- The dsolve command can be used to find symbolic solutions to differential equations, including specifying initial/boundary conditions.