# Math Help - Implicit Differentiation!!

1. ## Implicit Differentiation!!

Find dy/dx.

x^2 + xy - y^3 = xy^2

can someone help me out with this one, im not sure exactly where to put dy/dx when differentiating. thanks

mathlete

2. Remember as you do these that y is a function of x, so when you have to differentiate y at any point, the result will be $\frac{dy}{dx}$ - simply the derivative of y with respect to x.

$x^2 + xy - y^3 = xy^2$

Take the derivative with respect to x on both sides.

The derivative of $x^2 = 2x$.

To find the derivative of xy, you need to use the product rule, and you get:

$y + x\frac{dy}{dx}$.

The derivative of $y^3 = 3y^2 \frac{dy}{dx}$.

The derivative of $xy^2$ again requires the product rule, giving:

$y^2 + 2xy \frac{dy}{dx}$.

Put it all together and you get:

$2x + y + x\frac{dy}{dx} + 3y^2 \frac{dy}{dx} = y^2 + 2xy \frac{dy}{dx}$.

Get all the dy/dx on one side, everything else on the other. Factor out dy/dx from all the terms that have it, then divide to get dy/dx by itself.