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Explicit Functions and Implicit Functions

The document discusses explicit and implicit functions in calculus, highlighting the challenges of deriving implicit functions when y cannot be isolated. It explains the application of the chain rule for deriving terms involving y and provides examples to illustrate the process. Additionally, it introduces the use of partial derivatives to simplify the derivation of implicit functions.

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12 views5 pages

Explicit Functions and Implicit Functions

The document discusses explicit and implicit functions in calculus, highlighting the challenges of deriving implicit functions when y cannot be isolated. It explains the application of the chain rule for deriving terms involving y and provides examples to illustrate the process. Additionally, it introduces the use of partial derivatives to simplify the derivation of implicit functions.

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Explicit functions and implicit functions

In calculus courses, most of the functions with which


they are working expressed in form
explicit, as in the equation

Where the variable y is explicitly written as a function of x.


However, many functions, on the contrary, are implicit.
in an equation.

The function y = 1 / x is implicitly defined by the equation:


x y = 1.

If we want to find the derivative for this last equation, it


We do it by isolating y, thus, y = 1 / x = x - 1, obtaining its derivative

easily

The method works as long as it can be cleared and in the


equation. The problem is that if y cannot be isolated, this is useless.
method. For example, how to find dy/dx for the equation x2 - 2y3
+ 4y = 2, where it is very difficult to solve for y as an explicit function
from x?
The chain rule method for implicit functions

It is known that when deriving terms that only contain x, the


The referral will be the usual one. However, when we have to
to derive a term where y appears, it will be necessary to apply the
chain rule.

Example:

Here the variables match: it normally derives.

Example2:

Here the variables do not match: the rule is used of the


chain.

Example3:

Find of the implicit function:

Applying the notation , to each term and extracting the


constants;

In the first term, the variables coincide, they are derived


normally, in the second term, the derivative of a
product (first square bracket), the same in the third
term.

The chain rule applies to the term how can


It can be clearly observed in the second parentheses below.

Removing parentheses and ordering the terms,

Moving some terms to the right side,

Extracting the common factor ,

And finally, clearing up, we obtain the required answer:


dy/dx with partial derivatives
Much of the previous work could be omitted if we used the formula
next:

Where represents the partial derivative of the function f, with


regarding x,

y , represents the partial derivative of the function f with respect to the


variable y.

Example4:

Find of the implicit function:

First,

second

now the quotient,


Arranging the minus sign in the numerator, one obtains the
resultado

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