Differentiation of ellipse equation

In summary, the conversation discusses how to differentiate the ellipse equation in the form b^2x^2+a^2y^2=a^2b^2, with Morris Kline stating that this is the best way to do it. However, the process of implicit differentiation and using the product rule results in four terms on one side and two terms on the other side. The conversation also mentions another calculus book that arrives at the same derivative but by implicitly differentiating only the numerators and leaving the denominators unchanged. The conversation poses two questions: how to get the derivative from Morris Kline's form and why the other calculus book's method works. The answer to the second question is that the numbers a and b are constants.
  • #1
flashgordon2!
29
0
In Morris Kline's 'Calculus', he puts the ellipse equation in this form, b^2X^2+a^2y^2=a^2b^2, and says this is the best way to differentiate it; i did it thinking implicit differentiation and the product rule, but I'd get four terms on one side and two terms on the other side. He doesn't show how he did the implicit differentiation, but his result is -b^2x/a^2y, which seems pretty hard to get to from the above first form of the elipse equation.

I managed to find an old calc book that arrives at the derivative as shown above, but by means of the usual form of the ellipse equation x^2/a^2 + y^2/b^2 = 1; i would think to differentiate from here, you'd use the quotient rule(or, maybe he moves the denominators up by means of negative exponents; i admit to not having tried that yet, but still . . .), but this other calc book just implicitly differentiates the numerators and leaves the denominators alone, and then rearanges to get the derivative indicated by Morris Kline in the first paragraph above.

So, I have two questions! One, how to get the derivative of the ellipse equation from the from Morris Kline first indicates above, and two, why this other calc book gets the correct answer by doing implicit differentiation on the numerators alone?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
The numbers a and b are constants; that answers your second question.
As for the first question, use implicit differentiation. The Morris equation is just the other equation multiplied by (a^2)(b^2).
 
  • #3
nobody noticed some interesting phenomenon in this thread?
 

Related to Differentiation of ellipse equation

What is the equation of an ellipse?

The equation of an ellipse is (x-h)^2/a^2 + (y-k)^2/b^2 = 1, where (h,k) is the center of the ellipse and a and b are the lengths of the semi-major and semi-minor axes respectively.

How do you differentiate the equation of an ellipse?

To differentiate the equation of an ellipse, we first need to rearrange it into the form (y-k)^2 = (b/a)^2 [(x-h)^2 - a^2]. Then, we can use the chain rule to differentiate both sides with respect to x, giving us the derivative dy/dx = -b^2(x-h)/a^2(y-k).

Can the equation of an ellipse be simplified?

Yes, the equation of an ellipse can be simplified by dividing both sides by a^2b^2, giving us the simplified form (x-h)^2/a^2 + (y-k)^2/b^2 = 1. This form is useful for finding the center and lengths of the axes of the ellipse.

What does the derivative of an ellipse represent?

The derivative of an ellipse represents the slope of the tangent line at any point on the ellipse. This can be used to find the slope of the tangent at a specific point on the ellipse or to find critical points and determine the shape of the ellipse.

Can the equation of an ellipse be differentiated using the quotient rule?

No, the equation of an ellipse cannot be differentiated using the quotient rule. The quotient rule is used for differentiating functions that are in the form of f(x)/g(x), but the equation of an ellipse does not have this form.

Similar threads

  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
7
Views
405
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
2
Views
778
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
9
Views
1K
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
4
Views
1K
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
3
Views
937
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
18
Views
1K
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
24
Views
2K
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
25
Views
485
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
10
Views
1K
Back
Top