scipy.misc.derivative

scipy.misc.derivative(func, x0, dx=1.0, n=1, args=(), order=3)

Find the nth derivative of a function at a point.

Given a function, use a central difference formula with spacing dx to compute the nth derivative at x0.

Parameters

funcfunction

Input function.

x0float

The point at which the nth derivative is found.

dxfloat, optional

Spacing.

nint, optional

Order of the derivative. Default is 1.

argstuple, optional

Arguments

orderint, optional

Number of points to use, must be odd.

Notes

Decreasing the step size too small can result in round-off error.

Examples

>>> from scipy.misc import derivative
>>> def f(x):
...     return x**3 + x**2
>>> derivative(f, 1.0, dx=1e-6)
4.9999999999217337