Differentiate x^5 + 3x^2 - 17 with respect to x

When you are differentiating, use the formula:

The differential of ax^n is (n*a) x^(n-1). Or in words: 'multiply by the power, then reduce the power by 1.'

Hence for our question, x^5 differentiates to 5x^(5-1) = 5x^4; 3x^2 differentiates to (2*3)x^(2-1) = 6x.

-17 is eliminated because it is the same as -17x^0, so when you multiply -17 by the power, 0, -17 * 0 = 0.

The final answer is:

dy/dx = 5x^4 + 6x