Implicit differentiation is a technique used to find derivatives of functions that cannot be solved explicitly for y. It involves taking the derivative of the entire function using the chain rule, treating y as a variable rather than a function of x. This results in an expression for dy/dx that can be solved algebraically. Like other derivatives, dy/dx gives the slope of the tangent line at a point (x,y) on the curve, and this slope can be used along with the point to find the equation of the tangent line.

1. Implicit Differentiation Unit 3 Lesson 4 Potomac School E. Alexander Burt

2. When to use Implicit Differentiation When you have a function that cannot be solved explicitly for y

3. Examples:

4. The method, part 1: Since we cannot solve for y, we must treat y as an unknown function of x

5. Therefore, the derivative of y follows the chain rule: