Differentiation from first principles uses the definition of the derivative of a function f(x)
The definition is
How do I differentiate from first principles?
Exam Tip
Most of the time you will not use first principles to find the derivative of a function (there are much quicker ways!)
However, you can be asked to demonstrate differentiation from first principles
To get full marks make sure you are are writing lim h -> 0 right up until the concluding sentence!