Souptik Roy
A derivative is a common tool to calculate any rate of change of any value. You can calculate derivatives by using Excel. In this article, I will show how to calculate derivative from data points Excel. Hopefully, this article will help you to make you more expert in Excel. I will attach illustrations for your better understanding.
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Introduction to Derivatives
Derivatives mean the rate of change of any function. If we consider a funcion y = 2x+1. Then the derivative of this function will be
(y2-y1)/(x2-x1)
We can explain this phenomenon by that, the rate of change of the y function is actually the proportion of change of y and the proportion of change of x.
2 Easy Methods to Calculate Derivative from Data Points in Excel
Here, I consider a dataset of Distance covering a Tesla Car. I have two columns in the dataset B and C called Time (seconds) and Distance (meters). The dataset ranges from B5 to C10 cells. With this dataset, I will show how to Calculate derivative from Data Points in Excel. Let’s follow the steps of the methods carefully.
1. Calculating Derivatives from Data Points in Excel by Using a Generic Formula
This is the first method of this article. I will use a generic formula to calculate derivative from Data points in Excel. I have added a new column in column D called Velocity (meters/seconds). The first value of velocity will be 0 because as this is the first value, there is no change in velocity there. Now, let’s follow the method step by step mentioned below.
Steps:
- First, select the D6Â cell.
- Then, enter the following formula in the D6Â cell:
=(C6-C5)/(B6-B5)
- After that, press the Enter key.
- Then, you will get the value 10.
- Moreover, use Fill-handle to copy down the formula from D6 to D10 cells.
- Hence, you will find the result just like the picture given below.
Read More: How to Do Differentiation in Excel (With Easy Steps)
2. Using Graphs to Calculate Derivatives from Data Points in Excel
This is the last method of this article. You will also get knowledge of how to calculate derivative from data points in Excel by using graphs. This method is another short and easy method. I will consider the same dataset here. Let’s follow the steps.
Steps:
- First, from the Insert option of your toolbar, insert a graph. However, the graph will be like the graph given below.
- Then, select the two consecutive points from the graph. I have selected the first two consecutive points.
- Now, select the D6 Then, write down the following formula in the D6 cell.
=(C6-C5)/(B6-B5)
- After pressing enter, you will find the result.
- Copy the formula from D6 to D10.
- Consequently, you will find the result like the picture given below.
How to Calculate First Derivative in Excel
The first derivative means to calculate the first-rate of change of a function. If the function is differentiated again then it will be called the second derivative. In this portion of this article, I will show how to calculate the first derivative in Excel. Here, I will consider the same dataset we used earlier. Let’s follow the procedure step by step.
Steps:
- Select the D6 cell first.
- Write down the following formula.
=(C6-C5)/(B6-B5)
- After pressing Enter, you will get the result.
- Then, Fill-Handle to copy down the formula from D6 to D10 cell.
- As a result, you will get the velocities just like the picture given below.
Read More: How to Make First Derivative Graph on Excel (With Easy Steps)
Things to Remember
- The first value of every method is taken as 0 by default as the car didn’t start running at that time.
Conclusion
In this article, I have tried to explain how to Calculate Derivative from Data Points in Excel. I hope, you have learned something new from this article. Now, extend your skill by following the steps of these methods. However, you will find such interesting blogs on our website ExcelDemy.com. I hope you have enjoyed the whole tutorial. If you have any kind of queries feel free to ask me in the comment section. Don’t forget to give us your feedback.
