How do you use the chain rule to differentiate #y=(x^2+4)^-1#? Calculus Basic Differentiation Rules Chain Rule 1 Answer wise_sage Apr 11, 2018 #u = x^2 +4#, therefore #y = u^-1# #(du)/dx = 2x# #(dy)/(du) = (-u^-2)# #(dy)/(dx) = ((du)/(dx))((dy)/(du)) = (2x)(-u^-2) = (2x)((x^2 +4)^-2) = (2x)/(x^2 +4)^2 # Answer link Related questions What is the Chain Rule for derivatives? How do you find the derivative of #y= 6cos(x^2)# ? How do you find the derivative of #y=6 cos(x^3+3)# ? How do you find the derivative of #y=e^(x^2)# ? How do you find the derivative of #y=ln(sin(x))# ? How do you find the derivative of #y=ln(e^x+3)# ? How do you find the derivative of #y=tan(5x)# ? How do you find the derivative of #y= (4x-x^2)^10# ? How do you find the derivative of #y= (x^2+3x+5)^(1/4)# ? How do you find the derivative of #y= ((1+x)/(1-x))^3# ? See all questions in Chain Rule Impact of this question 1153 views around the world You can reuse this answer Creative Commons License