Calculate the derivative of a data-function in r

Question

Is there an easy way to calculate the derivative of non-liner functions that are give by data?

for example:

x = 1 / c(1000:1)

y = x^-1.5
ycs = cumsu         


        

Answer 1

Generating derivatives from raw data is risky unless you are very careful. Not for nothing is this process known as "error multiplier." Unless you know the noise content of your data and take some action (e.g. spline) to remove the noise prior to differentiation, you may well end up with a scary curve indeed.