- Difficulty
- Standard
- Suggested time
- 4 min
- Marks
- 3
Implicit differentiation and inverse trigonometric functions practice question 12
Let . Find .
is a product, and one factor is . Which rule applies, and what sits in the denominator of the derivative of ?
Product rule, and . Notice how the second term simplifies.
.
An exact expression, or a decimal to two decimal places.
How sure are you?
Theory UBC Math 100 §4.7CLP-1 §2.12Key results
Worked solution
Strategy
The product rule produces two terms; in the second, the factor (1 + x²) cancels the denominator of the arctan derivative exactly.
Working
The second term collapses to 1.
arctan 1 = π/4.
Answer
The answer is pi over 2 plus 1, about 2.571.
Check
g goes from about 1.5452 at x = 0.99 to 1.5966 at x = 1.01, a slope of about 2.57.
Where this goes wrong
Using arctan 1 = 45 and getting a huge number. Calculus works in radians: arctan 1 = π/4.
Leans on
The product rule, from Differentiation rules
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