Yep, thats clearly the better method esppecially when dealing with negative powers.Slide Rule said:Why are you using the product rule?
Function of a function rule:
tan^3(x)=(tanx)^3
let u=tanx
so derivative is 3u'.u^2=3sec^2(x)tan^2(x)
You can do it in your head, though. E.g. tan^4(x) derivative is 4sec^2(x)tan^3(x).