I'm taking a summer calc 2 class and we're getting into alternating patterns. I was interested in seeing the graph of (−1)x so I typed it into my TI-84 for y=(−1)x. Surprisingly, the graph is blank and dots appear randomly throughout.
Then I typed it into wolfram alpha and got a pattern I kind of expected. Since I'm learning this calculus stuff I thought hey... I can describe the function with the derivative... So I write down f(x)=(−1)x and then f′(x)=? and realize I have no idea how to get this derivative.
Wolfram alpha tells me it is iπ(−1)x. The ""step by step"" on wolfram alpha looks like this infamous bundle of joy:
Step 1: derivation of −1x
Step 2: derivation of −1x is iπ(−1)x
Yey! I'm no more smarter having read that. So... how do I (or why can't I) take the derivative of (−1)x? Also why can't my calculator graph this?
