notes / calculus · 17 September 2026

Leibniz rule at a moving boundary

When an integral's boundary depends on x, its derivative measures the integrand at that boundary and multiplies it by the boundary's speed.

If F(x) = ∫₀ᵍ⁽ˣ⁾ f(t) dt, then F′(x) = f(g(x)) · g′(x).

For g(x) = sin(x) and f(t) = 1/(1+t²), we obtain F′(x) = cos(x)/(1 + sin²(x)). At x = π/6, the value is 2√3/5 ≈ 0.69282.

The fundamental theorem supplies the boundary value; the chain rule supplies its velocity.