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William Tate
Apr 17, 2026

How to prove the quotient rule using the product and chain rules?

In A-Level Mathematics, we are taught the quotient rule for differentiation:

ddx(uv)=vdudx−udvdxv2\frac{d}{dx}\left(\frac{u}{v}\right) = \frac{v \frac{du}{dx} - u \frac{dv}{dx}}{v^2}dxd​(vu​)=v2vdxdu​−udxdv​​

But I find it hard to memorise. My teacher said we can derive it from the product rule and chain rule. Could someone show the derivation step by step?

I know that uv=u⋅v−1\frac{u}{v} = u \cdot v^{-1}vu​=u⋅v−1, but I get confused when applying the chain rule to v−1v^{-1}v−1.

1 answers277 views

1 Answer

3
Carlos Mendez
Apr 18, 2026
Accepted
Here is the derivation using only the product rule and chain rule. Write $\displaystyle \frac{u}{v} = u \cdot v^{-1}$. Apply the **product rule** $\frac{d}{dx}[f \cdot g] = f'g + fg'$ with $f = u$ and $g = v^{-1}$: $$\frac{d}{dx}\left(u \cdot v^{-1}\right) = \frac{du}{dx} \cdot v^{-1} + u \cdot \frac{d}{dx}\left(v^{-1}\right)$$ Now apply the **chain rule** to differentiate $v^{-1}$: $$\frac{d}{dx}\left(v^{-1}\right) = -1 \cdot v^{-2} \cdot \frac{dv}{dx} = -\frac{1}{v^2} \cdot \frac{dv}{dx}$$ Substitute back: \begin{align*} \frac{d}{dx}\left(\frac{u}{v}\right) &= \frac{1}{v} \cdot \frac{du}{dx} + u \cdot \left(-\frac{1}{v^2} \cdot \frac{dv}{dx}\right) \\ &= \frac{1}{v} \cdot \frac{du}{dx} - \frac{u}{v^2} \cdot \frac{dv}{dx} \\ &= \frac{v \frac{du}{dx} - u \frac{dv}{dx}}{v^2} \end{align*} This is exactly the quotient rule. The key insight is rewriting $u/v$ as a product $u \cdot v^{-1}$, which is a trick that appears frequently in calculus.
1 comment
Ethan Caldwell
Ethan CaldwellMay 7, 2026
Excellent derivation! I always forget that $v^{-1}$ differentiates to $-v^{-2}v'$ via the chain rule.
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