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Lesson 20 of 24
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# Implicit Differentiation

We have already studied how to find equations of tangent lines to functions and the rate of change of a function at a specific point. In all these cases we had the explicit equation for the function and differentiated these functions explicitly. Suppose instead that we want to determine the equation of a tangent line to an arbitrary curve or the rate of change of an arbitrary curve at a point. In this section, we solve these problems by finding the derivatives of functions that define  implicitly in terms of .

# Implicit Differentiation

In most discussions of math, if the dependent variable  is a function of the independent variable , we express  in terms of . If this is the case, we say that  is an explicit function of . For example, when we write the equation , we are defining  explicitly in terms of . On the other hand, if the relationship between the function  and the variable  is expressed by an equation where  is not expressed entirely in terms of , we say that the equation defines  implicitly in terms of . For example, the equation  defines the function  implicitly.

Implicit differentiation allows us to find slopes of tangents to curves that are clearly not functions (they fail the vertical line test). We are using the idea that portions of  are functions that satisfy the given equation, but that  is not actually a function of .

In general, an equation defines a function implicitly if the function satisfies that equation. An equation may define many different functions implicitly. For example, the functions

, and , which are illustrated in (Figure), are just three of the many functions defined implicitly by the equation .

If we want to find the slope of the line tangent to the graph of  at the point , we could evaluate the derivative of the function  at . On the other hand, if we want the slope of the tangent line at the point , we could use the derivative of . However, it is not always easy to solve for a function defined implicitly by an equation. Fortunately, the technique of implicit differentiation allows us to find the derivative of an implicitly defined function without ever solving for the function explicitly. The process of finding  using implicit differentiation is described in the following problem-solving strategy.

### Problem-Solving Strategy: Implicit Differentiation

To perform implicit differentiation on an equation that defines a function  implicitly in terms of a variable , use the following steps:

1. Take the derivative of both sides of the equation. Keep in mind that  is a function of . Consequently, whereas  because we must use the Chain Rule to differentiate  with respect to .
2. Rewrite the equation so that all terms containing  are on the left and all terms that do not contain  are on the right.
3. Factor out  on the left.
4. Solve for  by dividing both sides of the equation by an appropriate algebraic expression.

### Using Implicit Differentiation

Assuming that  is defined implicitly by the equation , find .

#### Solution

Follow the steps in the problem-solving strategy.

#### Analysis

Note that the resulting expression for  is in terms of both the independent variable  and the dependent variable . Although in some cases it may be possible to express  in terms of  only, it is generally not possible to do so.

### Using Implicit Differentiation and the Product Rule

Assuming that  is defined implicitly by the equation , find .

### Using Implicit Differentiation to Find a Second Derivative

Find  if .

#### Solution

In (Figure), we showed that . We can take the derivative of both sides of this equation to find .

At this point we have found an expression for . If we choose, we can simplify the expression further by recalling that  and making this substitution in the numerator to obtain .

Find  for  defined implicitly by the equation .

#### Hint

Follow the problem solving strategy, remembering to apply the chain rule to differentiate  and .

# Finding Tangent Lines Implicitly

Now that we have seen the technique of implicit differentiation, we can apply it to the problem of finding equations of tangent lines to curves described by equations.

### Finding a Tangent Line to a Circle

Find the equation of the line tangent to the curve  at the point .

#### Solution

Although we could find this equation without using implicit differentiation, using that method makes it much easier. In (Figure), we found .

The slope of the tangent line is found by substituting  into this expression. Consequently, the slope of the tangent line is .

Using the point  and the slope  in the point-slope equation of the line, we then solve for  to obtain the equation  ((Figure)).

### Finding the Equation of the Tangent Line to a Curve

Find the equation of the line tangent to the graph of  at the point  ((Figure)). This curve is known as the folium (or leaf) of Descartes.

#### Solution

Begin by finding

Next, substitute  into  to find the slope of the tangent line:.

Finally, substitute into the point-slope equation of the line and solve for  to obtain.

### Applying Implicit Differentiation

In a simple video game, a rocket travels in an elliptical orbit whose path is described by the equation . The rocket can fire missiles along lines tangent to its path. The object of the game is to destroy an incoming asteroid traveling along the positive -axis toward . If the rocket fires a missile when it is located at , where will it intersect the -axis?

#### Solution

To solve this problem, we must determine where the line tangent to the graph of

at  intersects the -axis. Begin by finding  implicitly.

Differentiating, we have.

Solving for , we have.

The slope of the tangent line is . The equation of the tangent line is . To determine where the line intersects the -axis, solve . The solution is . The missile intersects the -axis at the point .

Find the equation of the line tangent to the hyperbola  at the point .

#### Hint

Using implicit differentiation, you should find that .

### Key Concepts

• We use implicit differentiation to find derivatives of implicitly defined functions (functions defined by equations).
• By using implicit differentiation, we can find the equation of a tangent line to the graph of a curve.