Call me crazy but I must say that finding derivatives is, in my opinion, the most intriguing part of Calculus thus far. I enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out which rule to use, and how that rule is set up and applied. It can be a little confusing at times, but that makes it so much more intense. I like fighting my way through derivatives, and simplfying them, which poses a challenge, but is enjoyable also. The chain rule is my favorite rule, and using it over and over in one problem is really great. I mean like those problems where there is a chain rule inside a chain rule inside a chain rule. Here you have to keep doing the rule and working your way into the last part of the problem.
On the other hand antiderivatives are not half as much fun. They seem really confusing. It appears to be very hard to look at some equation and do its derivative backwards after we have spent so much time doing them forwards! There aren’t like those clear cut rules that you follow either. I mean there are rules but they are not as obvious as with regular derivatives. And then there is the case of this arbitrary “C”. This “C” can be any little number it wants to be. That seems kind of wierd to me. Of course it makes since to have it there but I am person who likes real things. An arbitrary value just isn’t good enough for me. For this reason, I am really forward to learning how one is able to actually define the “C”. I think that it has something to do with some n’s or i’s from my high school Calculus, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
Although the chain rule is very tough, I agree it is my favorite too. I would never thought I’d say this, but derivatives are interesting