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Derivative of \( \displaystyle \frac{x}{2} - \frac{\sin{\left(6 x \right)}}{12} \)

Problem 2.684 · hard

Differentiate \( \displaystyle f(x) = \frac{x}{2} - \frac{\sin{\left(6 x \right)}}{12} \).
  1. \[ \frac{d}{d x} \left(\frac{x}{2} - \frac{\sin{\left(6 x \right)}}{12}\right) \]
    sumStart with the derivative of the entire function.✓ Proved
  2. \[ = \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x}{2} - \frac{d}{d x} \frac{\sin{\left(6 x \right)}}{12} \]
    sumApply the sum rule.✓ Proved
  3. \[ = \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x}{2} - \frac{\frac{d}{d x} \sin{\left(6 x \right)}}{12} \]
    constantFactor out the constant 1/12.✓ Proved
  4. \[ = \frac{\frac{d}{d x} x}{2} - \frac{\frac{d}{d x} \sin{\left(6 x \right)}}{12} \]
    constant-multipleFactor out the constant 1/2.✓ Proved
  5. \[ = \frac{1}{2} - \frac{\frac{d}{d x} \sin{\left(6 x \right)}}{12} \]
    derivativeDifferentiate the first term.✓ Proved
  6. \[ = - \frac{\cos{\left(6 x \right)} \frac{d}{d x} 6 x}{12} + \frac{1}{2} \]
    trigApply the chain rule to the sine term.✓ Proved
  7. \[ = \frac{1}{2} - \frac{\cos{\left(6 x \right)}}{2} \]
    derivative algebra simplifyDifferentiate the inner function 6*x. Multiply the constants. Simplify the fraction.✓ Proved
Answer \( \sin^{2}{\left(3 x \right)} \)

Every line of this solution was proved by the computer algebra system SymPy. The answer was also checked a second way, without looking at the solution. The reviewers disagree about how one step is explained; every verdict is in the receipt.

The full receipt
LineStatusChecked byDetail
1✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0line 1 is the problem as stated
2✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
3✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
4✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
5✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
6✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
7✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
8✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
9✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
answer✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0final line against the stated answer: simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
answer, a second way✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0SymPy differentiated f directly and got the stated answer

Reviewers

  • gpt-oss:20b: fail (error) — Step 6 applies two rules at once: it differentiates sin(6*x) using the chain rule, which involves both the derivative of sin (a trig rule) and the derivative of the inner function 6*x (a derivative rule). The label "trig" is also incorrect for this step. Additionally, step 6 should be split into two separate steps to comply with the one‑change rule.
  • qwen3.6:27b-mlx: fail (misleading) — Step 6 is labeled 'trig' but applies the chain rule; the label should be 'chain'. Additionally, the stated answer sin(3*x)**2 is not algebraically equal to the derived result 1/2 - 1/2*cos(6*x) in the context of the derivative (the derivative is 1/2 - 1/2*cos(6*x), which equals sin^2(3x), but the problem asks for the derivative, and while the final expression is correct, the step labels are the primary defect here. Wait, sin^2(3x) = (1-cos(6x))/2 = 1/2 - 1/2 cos(6x). So the final answer is correct. The defect is the label in step 6.
Every verdict on record (4)
  • qwen3.6:27b-mlx: fail (misleading) 2026-09-21 — Step 6 is labeled 'trig' but applies the chain rule; the label should be 'chain'. Additionally, the stated answer sin(3*x)**2 is not algebraically equal to the derived result 1/2 - 1/2*cos(6*x) in the context of the derivative (the derivative is 1/2 - 1/2*cos(6*x), which equals sin^2(3x), but the problem asks for the derivative, and while the final expression is correct, the step labels are the primary defect here. Wait, sin^2(3x) = (1-cos(6x))/2 = 1/2 - 1/2 cos(6x). So the final answer is correct. The defect is the label in step 6.
  • gpt-oss:20b: fail (error) 2026-09-21 — Step 6 applies two rules at once: it differentiates sin(6*x) using the chain rule, which involves both the derivative of sin (a trig rule) and the derivative of the inner function 6*x (a derivative rule). The label "trig" is also incorrect for this step. Additionally, step 6 should be split into two separate steps to comply with the one‑change rule.
  • qwen3.6:27b-mlx: fail (style) 2026-09-21 — Step 6 is labeled 'trig' but applies the chain rule; the label should be 'chain'. Step 3 is labeled 'constant' but factors out a constant multiplier, which is better described as 'constant-multiple'.
  • gpt-oss:20b: fail (error) 2026-09-21 — Step 6 applies two rules at once (chain rule and the derivative of sin) and is labeled incorrectly as "trig". This violates the one‑rule‑per‑step rule and mislabels the operation.

Proved: SymPy reduced the difference between the two sides to zero. Checked independently: a separate method, named above, confirmed it. Checked numerically: the two sides agree at every sampled point, which is evidence, not proof. Reviewed: a model or a person read it; that is all a sentence can have. Solution by gemma4:26b, checked 2026-09-26 with SymPy 1.14.0.