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Home›Calculus 1›Product rule›Problem 2.705

Derivative of \( \displaystyle \frac{x^{2}}{2} - x \left(x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \frac{x}{2} - \frac{\ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)}}{4} \)

Problem 2.705 · hard

Differentiate \( \displaystyle f(x) = \frac{x^{2}}{2} - x \left(x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \frac{x}{2} - \frac{\ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)}}{4} \).
  1. \[ \frac{d}{d x} \left(\frac{x^{2}}{2} - x \left(x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \frac{x}{2} - \frac{\ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)}}{4}\right) \]
    derivativeStart with the derivative of the function.✓ Proved
  2. \[ = - \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x}{2} + \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x^{2}}{2} - \frac{d}{d x} x \left(x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \frac{d}{d x} \frac{\ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)}}{4} \]
    sumApply the sum rule.✓ Proved
  3. \[ = - \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x}{2} + \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x^{2}}{2} - \frac{d}{d x} x \left(x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \frac{\frac{d}{d x} \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)}}{4} \]
    constantFactor out the constant from the last term.✓ Proved
  4. \[ = - x \left(x - 1\right) \frac{d}{d x} \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - x \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} \frac{d}{d x} \left(x - 1\right) - \left(x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} \frac{d}{d x} x - \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x}{2} + \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x^{2}}{2} - \frac{\frac{d}{d x} \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)}}{4} \]
    productApply the product rule to the second term.✓ Proved
  5. \[ = - x \left(x - 1\right) \frac{d}{d x} \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - x \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \left(x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x}{2} + \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x^{2}}{2} - \frac{\frac{d}{d x} \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)}}{4} \]
    derivativeDifferentiate the individual parts of the product rule.✓ Proved
  6. \[ = - \frac{2 x \left(x - 1\right)}{2 x - 1} - x \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \left(x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x}{2} + \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x^{2}}{2} - \frac{\frac{d}{d x} \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)}}{4} \]
    chainApply the chain rule to the logarithm.✓ Proved
  7. \[ = - \frac{2 x \left(x - 1\right)}{2 x - 1} - x \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \left(x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x}{2} + \frac{d}{d x} \frac{x^{2}}{2} - \frac{1}{2 \left(2 x - 1\right)} \]
    algebraSimplify the derivative of the log term.✓ Proved
  8. \[ = - \frac{2 x \left(x - 1\right)}{2 x - 1} - x \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} + x - \left(x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \frac{1}{2} - \frac{1}{4 x - 2} \]
    derivativeEvaluate the remaining derivatives.✓ Proved
  9. \[ = x - \left(2 x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \frac{1}{2} - \frac{1}{4 x - 2} - \frac{2 x^{2} - 2 x}{2 x - 1} \]
    algebra algebra algebraCombine the log terms. Group the rational terms.✓ Proved
  10. \[ = x - \frac{2 x}{4 x - 2} - \left(2 x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \frac{2 x^{2} - 2 x}{2 x - 1} \]
    algebra algebraFind a common denominator for the rational part. Simplify the numerator of the rational part.✓ Proved
  11. \[ = x - \frac{x}{2 x - 1} - \left(2 x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \frac{2 x^{2} - 2 x}{2 x - 1} \]
    algebraSimplify the fraction.✓ Proved
  12. \[ = x - \left(2 x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} - \frac{2 x^{2} - x}{2 x - 1} \]
    algebra algebraCombine the rational terms over the common denominator. Simplify the numerator.✓ Proved
  13. \[ = - \left(2 x - 1\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} \]
    algebra algebraFactor out x from the numerator. Simplify the fraction.✓ Proved
  14. \[ = \left(1 - 2 x\right) \ln{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} \]
    algebraFinal simplification.✓ Proved
Answer \( \left(1 - 2 x\right) \log{\left(2 x - 1 \right)} \)

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
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
3✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
4✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
5✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
6✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
undefined where 2*x - 1 = 0
7✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
undefined where 2*x - 1 = 0
8✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
undefined where 2*x - 1 = 0
undefined where 4*x - 2 = 0
9✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
undefined where 4*x - 2 = 0
undefined where 2*x - 1 = 0
10✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
undefined where 4*x - 2 = 0
undefined where 2*x - 1 = 0
11✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
undefined where 4*x - 2 = 0
undefined where 2*x - 1 = 0
12✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
undefined where 4*x - 2 = 0
undefined where 2*x - 1 = 0
13✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
undefined where 4*x - 2 = 0
undefined where 2*x - 1 = 0
14✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
undefined where 4*x - 2 = 0
undefined where 2*x - 1 = 0
15✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
undefined where 2*x - 1 = 0
16✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
undefined where 2*x - 1 = 0
17✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
undefined where 2*x - 1 = 0
18✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
19✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
answer✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0final line against the stated answer: simplify(a - b) reduced to 0
log is undefined for non-positive arguments
answer, a second way✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0SymPy differentiated f directly and got the stated answer

Reviewers

  • gpt-oss:20b: fail (error) — Step 4 applies the product rule twice in a single line, combining two separate rule applications into one. This violates the rule that each step must change only one thing. The correct approach would split the product rule application into two separate steps or use a single product rule on the two outer factors and then expand the inner product in a subsequent step.
  • qwen3.6:27b-mlx: pass
Every verdict on record (4)
  • qwen3.6:27b-mlx: pass 2026-09-21
  • gpt-oss:20b: fail (error) 2026-09-21 — Step 4 applies the product rule twice in a single line, combining two separate rule applications into one. This violates the rule that each step must change only one thing. The correct approach would split the product rule application into two separate steps or use a single product rule on the two outer factors and then expand the inner product in a subsequent step.
  • qwen3.6:27b-mlx: pass 2026-09-21
  • gpt-oss:20b: pass 2026-09-21

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.