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- Feb 16, 2005
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- HSC
- 2006
I always write u, v, u' and v' when applying the quotient rule as well the u, du, v and du for integration by parts, particularly with a complex problem. I did this mainly because I found it to be a mental pain figuring it out in my head and it doesn't give me the right answer most of the time anyway because I often get the subtraction the wrong way round. By listing them out, it saves me from thinking too much and it pretty much always gave the correct answer when I do exercises and in exams.
It doesn't really waste time, it only takes like 5-10 seconds to write out plus it provides a form of insurance in case the final answer is wrong and also if the answer is suspected to be wrong then at least the list of the u, v, u' and v' can be immediately checked for correctness rather than redoing the whole differentiation in my head.
It doesn't really waste time, it only takes like 5-10 seconds to write out plus it provides a form of insurance in case the final answer is wrong and also if the answer is suspected to be wrong then at least the list of the u, v, u' and v' can be immediately checked for correctness rather than redoing the whole differentiation in my head.