SA3Why does differentiating y^2 give 2yy' when using implicit differentiation?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the application of implicit differentiation to the function \(y^2\), where differentiating \(y^2\) results in \(2y \frac{dy}{dx}\). This outcome is derived from the chain rule, recognizing that \(y\) is a function of \(x\). The participants clarify that when differentiating \(y^2\), one must treat \(y\) as \(f(x)\), leading to the conclusion that the derivative incorporates both the function and its derivative, hence the \(2y\) term multiplied by \(\frac{dy}{dx}\).

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differentiating for "y"

Homework Statement


I don't quite understand the reason why one can [itex]\frac{d}{dx}[/itex] y2 and get 2y [itex]\frac{dy}{dx}[/itex] when using implicit differentiation. Why can one even go as far as to change y2 to 2y?

Homework Equations


The Attempt at a Solution


I see the chain rule is applied, I just would like to have a good understanding as to why differentiating y2 gives 2y [itex]\frac{dy}{dx}[/itex] when using implicit differentiation
 
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you should think of it as y = f ( x ), as y is a function of x.
Then, the use of the chain-rule is obvious. Suppose you have the function T ( x ) = 2 + [ f( x ) ]^2 = 2 + y^2 . Then if you want to differentiate this with respect to x, you have to differentiate T ' ( x ) = 2f(x )*f ' ( x )
 


vanmaiden said:

Homework Statement


I don't quite understand the reason why one can [itex]\frac{d}{dx}[/itex] y2 and get 2y [itex]\frac{dy}{dx}[/itex] when using implicit differentiation. Why can one even go as far as to change y2 to 2y?


Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


I see the chain rule is applied, I just would like to have a good understanding as to why differentiating y2 gives 2y [itex]\frac{dy}{dx}[/itex] when using implicit differentiation

For f(x) = [y(x)]^2 and small h > 0 we have f(x+h) - f(x) = [y(x+h)]^2 - [y(x)]^2. We also have [y(x+h) -y(x)]/h ~ y'(x) for small h > 0 (becoming exact in the limit h --> 0), so f(x+h) - f(X) is almost equal to [y(x) + h*y'(x)]^2 - [y(x)]^2 = 2*y(x)*y'(x)*h + h^2*y'(x)^2, with equality becoming exact in the limit. So, what is limit_{h->0} [f(x+h) - f(x)]/h?

RGV
 

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