Applying Implicit Differentiation
More Lessons for Calculus
Math Worksheets
A series of calculus lectures.
How to Do Implicit Differentiation
Steps to doing implicit differentiation to find dy/dx:
1) Take the derivative of both sides, multiplying by dy/dx
2) Get dy/dx alone on one side
Learn how to use implicit differentiation to calculate the equation of the tangent to the curve at a specific point. Use implicit differentiation to find the first derivative of y, or y', or y prime, then plug the given point into the first derivative to get the slope of the tangent line, m. Plug the slope and the given point into the point-slope formula for the equation of the line, and simplify to get the equation of the tangent line to the curve at that point.
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