2.

5 Implicit Differentiation Name: ___________________________

AP Calculus AB Period: _____ Date: _________________
2.5 Implicit Differentiation
Objectives: 1) Distinguish between functions written in implicit form and explicit form
2) Use implicit differentiation to find the derivative of a function.
3) Find derivatives of functions using logarithmic differentiation.

Implicit and Explicit Differentiation

Up to this point in the text, most functions have been expressed in explicit form. For example,
in the equation y = 3x2 + 5, the variable y is explicitly written as a function of x. Some
1
functions, however, are only implied by an equation. For instance, the function y = is defined
𝑥
implicitly by the equation x·y = 1.

Implicit Form: Explicit Form Derivative

1 𝑑𝑦
x·y = 1 y = 𝑥 = x-1 = -x-2
𝑑𝑥

Example ONE: Differentiating with Respect to x

𝑑 𝑑 𝑑
a. [3𝑥 2 ] b. [3𝑦 2 ] c. [𝑥 + 3𝑦]
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥

Example TWO: Implicit Differentiation

𝑑𝑦
Find given that y3 + y2 – 5y – x2 = -4
𝑑𝑥
2.5 Implicit Differentiation Name: ___________________________
AP Calculus AB Period: _____ Date: _________________
Example THREE: Graphs and Differentiable Functions
If possible, represent y as a differentiable function of x.
a. x2 + y2 = 0 b. x + y2 = 1

Example FOUR: Finding the Slope of a Graph Implicitly

−1
Determine the slope of the tangent line to the graph of x2 + 4y2 = 4 at the point (√2, ).
√2

Example FIVE: Finding the Slope of a Graph Implicitly

Determine the slope of the graph of 3(x2 + y2)2 = 100xy at the point (3, 1).
2.5 Implicit Differentiation Name: ___________________________
AP Calculus AB Period: _____ Date: _________________
Example SIX: Finding the Second Derivative Implicitly
𝑑2 𝑦
Given x2 + y2 = 25, find .
𝑑𝑥 2

Example SEVEN: Finding a Tangent Line to a Graph

Find the tangent line to the graph of x2(x2 + y2) = y2 at the point ( 2 ,
√2 √2
).
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