3.

6 Implicit Differentiation and Related Rates

3.6.1 Differentiating Implicitly
Until now, we have restricted ourselves to functions of the form y = f (x) that express the depen-
dent variable y explicitly in terms of the independent variable x. Unfortunately, not all equations
in x and y can be expressed in this form. Consider the equation x2 y + y − x2 + 1 = 0. We have
implicitly expressed y as a function of x; however, we are lucky enough here that it is possible to
find a function f (x) such that y = f (x). By solving for y in three steps, we have

x2 y + y = x2 − 1, an implicit equation;

y(x2 + 1) = x2 − 1, an implicit equation; and

x2 − 1
y= , an explicit equation — in fact, a function.
x2 + 1
Consider the equation y 4 − y 3 − y + 2x3 − x = 8. Unfortunately, we would be hard pressed to find
an equation that represents y in terms of x, let alone an honest-to-goodness function; however, we
still wish to find how y is changing with respect to x. Using the Chain Rule, this is possible. We
dy
refer to the method of finding dx as implicit differentiation.
dy
Implicit Differentiation I. Given the equation y 2 = x, find dx
.

Solution. Consider taking the derivative with respect to x on both sides. Under certain condi-
tions, we note that y can be considered as a differentiable function of x. We will write y = f (x),
from which it follows that y 2 = [f (x)]2 . Using the Chain Rule, we have that

d 2 d dy
y = [f (x)]2 = 2f (x) · f � (x) = 2y · ,
dx dx dx
dy d 2 d dy 1
from which it follows that 2y · dx
= dx
y = dx
x = 1, and we conclude that the dx
= 2y
. �
dy
Using the following algorithm, we compute the derivative dx
of y using implicit differentiation.
dy
(1.) Given that dx exists, differentiate both sides of the equation with respect to x, making sure
dy
that the derivative of any term involving y includes a factor of dx .
dy
(2.) Use the resulting equation to solve for dx
in terms of x and y.
dy
Implicit Differentiation II. Given the equation y 3 − y + 2x3 − x = 8, find dx
.

Solution. Consider taking the derivative with respect to x on both sides. Using the Chain Rule

35
and recalling that the derivative of a constant is zero, we have that
d 3 d
(y − y + 2x3 − x) = 8
dx dx

d 3 d d d
y − y + 2x3 − x = 0
dx dx dx dx

dy dy
3y 2 · − + 6x2 − 1 = 0
dx dx

dy
(3y 2 − 1) = 1 − 6x2
dx

dy 1 − 6x2
= 2 . �
dx 3y − 1

Implicit Differentiation III. Consider the equation x2 + y 2 = 4.

dy
(a.) Compute dx
by implicit differentiation.
√
(b.) Find the slope of the line tangent to the graph of the function y = f (x) at the point (1, 3).

(c.) Find an equation of the tangent line from part (b.)

Solution. (a.) We have that for all y �= 0,

d 2 dy
(x + y 2 ) = 4
dx dx

dy
2x + 2y · =0
dx

dy x
=− . �
dx y
�
dy � √
�
Solution. (b.) We have that dx (1, 3)
= − xy �(1,√3) = − √13 . �

Solution. (c.) Using the point-slope form of a line, we have that

√ 1
y− 3 = − √ (x − 1)
3

x 1 √
y = −√ + √ + 3
3 3

x 4
y = −√ + √ . �
3 3

36
We remark that the above problem could have been solved with older methods by noting √ that
2 2 2
√ with radius 2. We can then take y = 4 − x and
x + y √= 4 is a circle centered at the origin
2
y = − 4 − x . We note that the point (1, √ 3) is in the first quadrant, hence our calculations of
the tangent line would use the form y = 4 − x2 .
�
dy �
Implicit Differentiation IV. Compute dx (1,2)
given that x2 y 3 + 6x2 = y + 12.

Solution. Using the product rule, it follows that

d 2 3 d
(x y + 6x2 ) = (y + 12)
dx dx

dy 3 dy dy
x2 · y + y 3 · x2 + 12x =
dx dx dx

dy dy
3x2 y 2 · + 2xy 3 + 12x =
dx dx

dy
2xy 3 + 12x = (1 − 3x2 y 2 )
dx

2x(y 3 + 6) dy
2 2
= .
1 − 3x y dx
�
dy � 2(1)(23 +6)
We conclude that dx (1,2)
= 1−3(1)2 (2)2
= − 28
11
. �

d2 y
Implicit Differentiation V. Compute dx2
given that xy − y 3 = 4.

Solution. Using the product rule, it follows that

d d
(xy − y 3 ) = 4
dx dx

dy dy
y+x· − 3y 2 · =0
dx dx

dy
(x − 3y 2 ) = −y
dx

dy y
=− .
dx x − 3y 2

37
Using the quotient rule, it follows that
� �
d2 y d dy d −y
= =
dx2 dx dx dx x − 3y 2

dy dy
(x − 3y 2 ) · dx
(−y)− (−y) · dx
(x − 3y 2 )
=
(x − 3y 2 )2

dy dy
(x − 3y 2 ) · − dx + y(1 − 6y · dx
)
=
(x − 3y 2 )2

dy
− dx (x + 3y 2 ) + y
=
(x − 3y 2 )2

y
x−3y 2
(x + 3y 2 ) + y
=
(x − 3y 2 )2

y(x + 3y 2 ) + y(x − 3y 2 )
=
(x − 3y 2 )3

2xy
= . �
(x − 3y 2 )3

3.6.2 Related Rates

We have done plenty of examples with implicit differentiation, but the most useful application of
implicit differentiation is in the subject of related rates. Briefly summarized, the objective of a
related rates problem is to glean information about how changes in a quantity x over time relate
to changes in a quantity y over time given that there is some equation that relates x and y.

Related Rates: Supply and Demand. Consider a manufacturer of disk drives that is will-
ing to make x thousand IGB USB flash drives available in the marketplace each week when the
wholesale price is $p per drive. Let the relationship between x and p be known and given by the
supply equation x2 − 3xp + p2 = 5. Compute how fast the supply of drives is changing when the
price per drive is $11, the quantity supplied is 4000 drives, and the wholesale price per drive is
increasing at a rate of $0.10 per drive each week.
dx
Solution. We must translate this “boss lingo” into layman’s terms. We are asked to find dt
for

38
 dp
the values p = $11, x = 4, and dt
= $0.10. Using the product rule, we have that
d 2 d
(x − 3xp + p2 ) = 5
dt dt

dx dp dx dp
2x · − 3x · − 3p · + 2p · =0
dt dt dt dt

dx (3x − 2p) dp
dt
= .
dt 2x − 3p
We plug in the given values to find that dx dt
= (3(4)−2(11))(0.1)
2(4)−3(11)
−1
= −25 = 0.04. We conclude that in
this instant the supply of drives is increasing at a rate of 40 drives per week. �
Using the following algorithm, we are able to compute related rates.
1.) Begin by assigning a variable to each quantity. Draw a diagram, if needed.
2.) List the given values of the variables and their rates of change with respect to t.
3.) Find an equation giving the relationship between the variables.
4.) Differentiate both sides of this equation implicitly with respect to t.
5.) Replace the variables and their derivatives by the numerical data from the second step, and
solve the equation for the required rate of change.
Related Rates: Rocket Launch. From a safe distance of 4000 feet away, a spectator observes
a rocket launch. Given that the rocket lifts off vertically and rises at a speed of 600 feet per sec-
ond when it is at an altitude of 3000 feet, how fast is the distance between the rocket and the
spectator changing at the moment the rocket is 3000 feet in the air?
Solution. We will follow the algorithm above. (1.) Consider the variables y := altitude of the
rocket (in feet) and x := distance between the rocket and the spectator (in feet) at any time t (in
seconds). (2.) We are given that when y = 3000, we have that dy dt
= 600. We are asked to find dx
dt
.
(3.) Using the Pythagorean Theorem, we have that x = y + 40002 so that when y = 3000, we
2 2

have that x = 5000. (4.) By implicitly differentiating both sides of the equation with respect to t,
we find that x · dx
dt
= y · dy
dt
. (5.) Replacing all variables and derivatives with numbers, we find that
dx 3000
dt
= 5000
· 600 = 360. We conclude that in this instant, the distance between the rocket and the
spectator is changing at a rate of 360 feet per second. �

3.7 Differentials
We use the language increments when discussing the change in a given variable. For instance, the
slope of the secant line between two points (x1 , y1 ) and (x2 , y2 ) is given by
y2 − y1 Δy increment in y
m= = = .
x2 − x1 Δx increment in x
Consider some differentiable curve f (x) and a point P on its graph. Let L be the line tangent to
f (x) at P . Given an arbitrarily small change in x — written Δx — the quantity f � (x) · Δx is a
good approximation for the resulting change in y — likewise written Δy.

39