How do I use implicit differentiation to solve these two questions?

In summary, the conversation is about a person asking for help with solving two questions involving implicit differentiation and the experts provide a step-by-step guide on how to approach the problems using the chain rule and product rule.
  • #1
Ry122
565
2
Im having trouble solving these two questions. I don't know where to start so I can't give an attempt at either of them. Please tell me how to do the full question if you can cause i can't check back until morning then i have to go to an exam.

http://www.users.on.net/~rohanlal/one.jpg
http://www.users.on.net/~rohanlal/two.jpg
 
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  • #2
First differentiate the LHS remembering that a dx will pop up then the same for the RHS then divide to find dy/dx.
 
  • #3
Simply differentiate both sides like you are used to, but keep in mind that y is not a constant! The derivative of y is [tex]\frac{dy}{dx}[/tex] so you should leave that in the equation. Then you will find an equation which you can solve for dy/dx.

I don't know what dirk_mec means by 'a dx will pop up' though. Perhaps take a look at the following example (to not give away the answer I use a different example):

[tex]y \sin x = x^3 + \cos y[/tex]
[tex]\frac{d}{dx}(y \sin x) = \frac{d}{dx}(x^3) + \frac{d}{dx}(\cos y)[/tex]
[tex](\sin x)\frac{dy}{dx} + y \cos x = 3x^2 - (\sin y) \frac{dy}{dx}[/tex]
[tex](\sin x + \sin y) \frac{dy}{dx} = 3x^2 - y \cos x[/tex]
[tex]\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{ 3x^2 - y \cos x}{\sin x + \sin y}[/tex]

Note the use of the product rule on the LHS in the third line!This is called implicit differentiation. Often you can rewrite a function to read 'y = f(x)' (where f is some function). But in this case this is impossible, so you have to use implicit differentiation.
 
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  • #4
Here are my attempts:
x^2=ln(x+y)
2x=(1/x)(1/y)dy/dx
2(x^2)y=dy/dx

e^(xy)=x+4
u=xy
u'=(1)(1)(dy/dx)
(1)(1)(dy/dx)e=1
(dy/dx)=1/e

They're both wrong.
 
  • #5
Ry122 said:
Here are my attempts:
x^2=ln(x+y)
2x=(1/x)(1/y)dy/dx
2(x^2)y=dy/dx

[tex]\ln(x+y) = \frac{1}{x +y}\left(1 + \frac{dy}{dx}\right)[/tex]

In general, the derivative of [itex]\ln f(x)[/itex] is [itex]\frac{1}{f(x)}\frac{df}{dx}[/itex], as per the chain rule. In this case, f(x) = x + y(x) (y is a function of x).

e^(xy)=x+4
u=xy
u'=(1)(1)(dy/dx)
(1)(1)(dy/dx)e=1
(dy/dx)=1/e

They're both wrong.

This is just an application of the chain rule again, keeping in mind that y is a function of x. There's no need to introduce u.

[tex]\frac{d}{dx}e^{xy} = e^{xy}\frac{d}{dx}(xy) = e^{xy}\left(y + x\frac{dy}{dx}\right)[/tex]
 
  • #6
So for ln(x+y)
its 1/(x+y) multiplied by the derivative of what's inside the parenthesis?
 
  • #7
Ry122 said:
So for ln(x+y)
its 1/(x+y) multiplied by the derivative of what's inside the parenthesis?

Yes.

And for [tex]e^{xy}[/tex] it's [tex]\frac{d}{dx} e^{xy} = e^{xy} \frac{d}{dx}(xy)[/tex]
(don't forget the product rule!)

So in words, the derivative of exp(f(x)) is simply exp(f(x)) multiplied by the derivative of f(x).So to get you started with the second one, this is the first step:
[tex]e^{xy} = x + 4[/tex]
[tex]e^{xy} \frac{d}{dx}(xy) = \frac{d}{dx}(x+4)[/tex]
[tex]e^{xy} \left( y + x \frac{dy}{dx} \right) = 1[/tex]
...
 
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Related to How do I use implicit differentiation to solve these two questions?

1. What is implicit differentiation?

Implicit differentiation is a method used to find the derivative of a function that is written in an implicit form, meaning that the dependent variable is not explicitly written in terms of the independent variable. It is useful for finding the slope of a curve at a given point or for solving optimization problems.

2. How is implicit differentiation different from explicit differentiation?

In explicit differentiation, the dependent variable is written explicitly in terms of the independent variable, making it easier to find the derivative. In implicit differentiation, the dependent variable is not explicitly written, so the chain rule and implicit differentiation rules must be used to find the derivative.

3. What are the steps for using implicit differentiation?

The steps for implicit differentiation are as follows:
1. Differentiate both sides of the equation with respect to the independent variable
2. Use the chain rule when differentiating any terms that contain the dependent variable
3. Collect terms with the derivative on one side of the equation
4. Solve for the derivative
5. Simplify the final expression as much as possible

4. When is implicit differentiation used?

Implicit differentiation is used when the dependent variable is not explicitly written in terms of the independent variable, making it difficult to find the derivative using explicit differentiation. It is commonly used in problems involving curves, such as finding the slope of a tangent line at a given point on a curve.

5. Can implicit differentiation be used for functions with multiple variables?

Yes, implicit differentiation can be used for functions with multiple variables. In this case, the partial derivatives of the function with respect to each variable must be taken, and the chain rule must be applied to each partial derivative. The final answer will be in terms of all the variables involved.

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