To find f′(x) from first principles, we use the definition of the derivative:
f′(x)=limh→0hf(x+h)−f(x)
Starting with f(x)=2x2−1, we first calculate f(x+h):
f(x+h)=2(x+h)2−1=2(x2+2xh+h2)−1=2x2+4xh+2h2−1
Now we substitute into the limit:
f′(x)=limh→0h(2x2+4xh+2h2−1)−(2x2−1)
This simplifies to:
f′(x)=limh→0h4xh+2h2=limh→0(4x+2h)
Evaluating the limit as h approaches 0 gives:
f′(x)=4x