Derivatives of implicit functions

In summary, if you are given the derivative of an implicit function as y' = \frac{y}{2y+x} and you want to find all points (x,y) where the slope is 1/2, you can use the following method: find x where y' = 0 and solve for y. The slope is never equaled to 0, so this is a valid response.
  • #1
courtrigrad
1,236
2
If you are given the derivative of an implicit function as [tex] y' = \frac{y}{2y+x} [/tex] how would you find all points (x,y) such that the slope at those points is 1/2? Ok so I did: [tex] \frac{y}{2y+x} = \frac{1}{2} [/tex] and got x = 0. So if I substitute x = 0 back into the original equation I get [tex] (0, \sqrt{2}) [/tex]. Would this be the correct method to solve this question? Also show that the slope is never equaled to 0. So I did [tex] \frac{y}{2y+x} = 0 [/tex]. If y = 0, then the original equation wouldn't make sense. Is this a valid response?

Any help is appreciated

Thanks
 
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  • #2
Well, I wouldn't word it "the original equation wouldn't make sense". Can you word this more mathematically or demonstrate why cannot equal 0?
 
  • #3
plugpoint said:
If you are given the derivative of an implicit function as [tex] y' = \frac{y}{2y+x} [/tex] how would you find all points (x,y) such that the slope at those points is 1/2? Ok so I did: [tex] \frac{y}{2y+x} = \frac{1}{2} [/tex] and got x = 0. So if I substitute x = 0 back into the original equation I get [tex] (0, \sqrt{2}) [/tex]. Would this be the correct method to solve this question? Also show that the slope is never equaled to 0. So I did [tex] \frac{y}{2y+x} = 0 [/tex]. If y = 0, then the original equation wouldn't make sense. Is this a valid response?

Any help is appreciated

Thanks
When you solve:

[tex]\frac{y}{2y+x}=\frac{1}{2}\quad (1)[/tex]

and come up with x=0, I don't see how you get the square root of 2. Try plugging x=0 into equation (1). The y variable will cancel out and you get an identity. What does that tell you about the possible values of y?

Alex
 
  • #4
apmcavoy said:
I don't see how you get the square root of 2.

He gave y', so I thought he plugged 0 into y, which he didn't give in his post.
 
  • #5
apmcavoy said:
Try plugging x=0 into equation (1). The y variable will cancel out and you get an identity. What does that tell you about the possible values of y?

I think you forgot to note that equation one is the derivative of the function. I think plugpoint may have forgot to post the original equation to where he got the square root 2. The current differential is not separable.
 
  • #6
mezarashi said:
I think you forgot to note that equation one is the derivative of the function. I think plugpoint may have forgot to post the original equation to where he got the square root 2. The current differential is not separable.
You don't need the original equation. If you plug x=0 into y', you get 1/2 no matter what value of y you have. This means that along the vertical line x=0 the slope is the same for all values of y.

Alex
 

1. What is a derivative of an implicit function?

A derivative of an implicit function is the rate of change of the output variable with respect to the input variable. It represents the slope of the curve at a specific point on the graph.

2. How is the derivative of an implicit function different from an explicit function?

The main difference is that an implicit function does not have a clear and defined formula for the output variable in terms of the input variable, unlike an explicit function. This means that the derivative of an implicit function cannot be found using simple algebraic manipulation and requires the use of implicit differentiation.

3. What is implicit differentiation?

Implicit differentiation is a technique used to find the derivative of an implicit function. It involves treating the dependent variable as a function of the independent variable and using the chain rule and product rule to differentiate the function.

4. Can all implicit functions be differentiated?

No, not all implicit functions can be differentiated. Some functions may be too complex or have non-differentiable points that make it impossible to find the derivative.

5. Why are derivatives of implicit functions important?

Derivatives of implicit functions are important in many fields of science, particularly in physics and engineering, as they allow us to analyze the rate of change of a variable in a more complex system. They also help us to find critical points, extrema, and inflection points, which are essential in optimization and modeling.

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