How to Find Higher Order Derivatives

A detailed tutorial on higher order derivatives. Step by step tutorial including several examples of higher order derivatives for reference.

A higher order derivative is a derivative with a power other than one – that is, a derivative is referred to as a first derivative, and the higher order derivatives are a second derivative, third derivative, etc. The second derivative is the derivative of the first derivative, and the third derivative is the derivative of the second derivative. When you know all the rules of taking derivatives, taking second and third derivatives are simple. Simply take the derivative and pretend it is another equation. When you go up beyond the third derivative this can get more challenging, as there will be many more parts to the equation.