Differentiation is used to verify the correctness of an integration result. When you differentiate an integral you've computed, you should arrive back at the original function (or integrand). The process essentially serves as a double-check mechanism. In the exercise, we differentiated \( \frac{5}{7} r^{7/5} + C \) to confirm it simplified back to \( r^{2/5} \), the original integrand.
The power rule in differentiation is pivotal here: the derivative of \( x^n \) is \( nx^{n-1} \). For \( \frac{5}{7} r^{7/5} \), the differentiation steps included:
- Multiplying by the exponent \( n \), which is \( \frac{7}{5} \).
- Subtracting one from the exponent to result in \( r^{(7/5) - 1} = r^{2/5} \).
These calculations take you back to the function you initially integrated. Differentiating confirms whether your integration process was done accurately. Knowing how to differentiate and the purpose of doing it after integration is central to solidifying your understanding of calculus principles.