Logarithm differentiation + chain rule

JamesGoh
Messages
140
Reaction score
0
For this function

y=\sqrt{2ln(x)+1}

if I use the chain rule properly, should I be getting this answer?

\frac{dy}{dx}=\frac{2}{x} \times \frac{1}{2} \times \frac{1}{\sqrt{2ln(x)+1}}

My aim of doing this is to verify that

\frac{dy}{dx}=\frac{1}{xy}
 
Physics news on Phys.org
That's right and equal to what you want!
 
Shyan said:
That's right and equal to what you want!
Exactly what Shaun said.
If you equate that to what information you need.

BINGO! You will get your answer
 
As a simpler alternative to using the chain rule, you can do this:

##y = \sqrt{2\ln(x) + 1} ##
##\Rightarrow y^2 = 2\ln(x) + 1##
Differentiating implicitly,
##2y\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{2}{x}##
##\Rightarrow \frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{1}{xy}##
 
  • Like
Likes 1 person
Yes, that is correct. Just to show the math:

d/dx[√2ln(x)+1]
=1/2√2ln(x)+1 * 2/x
=2/x * 1/2 * 1/√2ln(x)+1
 
You are missing several sets of parentheses.
Apogee said:
Yes, that is correct. Just to show the math:

d/dx[√2ln(x)+1]
Most would interpret the part in brackets above as √2 * ln(x)+1, rather than √(2ln(x)+1).
Apogee said:
=1/2√2ln(x)+1 * 2/x
Most would interpret the above as
1/2 * √2ln(x) + 2/x, which I don't think is what you intended.
Apogee said:
=2/x * 1/2 * 1/√2ln(x)+1
 
You're right, perhaps I should have put 2ln(x) + 1 in parentheses, but I think he gets what I mean haha. Nonetheless, I appreciate the correction. Thank you!
 
Mark44 said:
As a simpler alternative to using the chain rule, you can do this:

##y = \sqrt{2\ln(x) + 1} ##
##\Rightarrow y^2 = 2\ln(x) + 1##
Differentiating implicitly,
##2y\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{2}{x}##
##\Rightarrow \frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{1}{xy}##

Hm, how does this take into account the fact that squaring the equation will give multiple values?

##y^2=2\ln(x)+1## is a set of two equations, namely $$y= \sqrt{2\ln(x) + 1}$$ and $$y= -\sqrt{2\ln(x) + 1}$$
Will the derivative also be multiple valued? It doesn't seem like it since ##\frac{1}{xy}## is a singled valued funtion. What am I missing?
 
Mark44 said:
As a simpler alternative to using the chain rule, you can do this:

##y = \sqrt{2\ln(x) + 1} ##
##\Rightarrow y^2 = 2\ln(x) + 1##
Differentiating implicitly,
##2y\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{2}{x}##
##\Rightarrow \frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{1}{xy}##
paradoxymoron said:
Hm, how does this take into account the fact that squaring the equation will give multiple values?
Actually it doesn't in this case. That's something that I considered but didn't mention before. In the first equation, the square root term is necessarily nonnegative, which means that y must also be nonnegative. So squaring both sides doesn't introduce extraneous solutions that weren't present in the original equation.
paradoxymoron said:
##y^2=2\ln(x)+1## is a set of two equations, namely $$y= \sqrt{2\ln(x) + 1}$$ and $$y= -\sqrt{2\ln(x) + 1}$$
Will the derivative also be multiple valued?
I don't understand what you're asking. The derivative will not be multiple valued.
paradoxymoron said:
It doesn't seem like it since ##\frac{1}{xy}## is a singled valued funtion. What am I missing?
 
  • #10
Mark44 said:
I don't understand what you're asking. The derivative will not be multiple valued.

What I'm trying to ask is that since we found the derivative is ##\frac{dy}{dx}=\frac{1}{xy}##, we have two options for ##y## now, the positive or negative root, since we squared the term to make the differentiation simpler. Why do we necessarily choose the positive one? I know I'm just being technical, sorry about my arrogance, but it's a pet-peeve of mine.
 
  • #11
paradoxymoron said:
What I'm trying to ask is that since we found the derivative is ##\frac{dy}{dx}=\frac{1}{xy}##, we have two options for ##y## now, the positive or negative root, since we squared the term to make the differentiation simpler.
No we don't in this case, which I explained in post #9. Since y is the square root of some expression, y is necessarily nonnegative. Take a look again at what I wrote, and see if that answers your questions.


paradoxymoron said:
Why do we necessarily choose the positive one? I know I'm just being technical, sorry about my arrogance, but it's a pet-peeve of mine.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top