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Exercise 5.3 · Q3

Q.Find dydx\frac{dy}{dx} in the following: ax+by2=cos⁡yax + by^2 = \cos y

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We treat yy as a function of xx and differentiate term-by-term using implicit differentiation. The result is dydx=−a2by+sin⁡y\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{-a}{2by + \sin y}.

The equation ax+by2=cos⁡yax + by^2 = \cos y mixes xx and yy in a way we cannot solve for yy cleanly. That is exactly when implicit differentiation shines. Instead of isolating yy first, we differentiate both sides with respect to xx, remembering that yy is a function of xx — so every time we hit a yy, we apply the chain rule and multiply by dydx\frac{dy}{dx}.

Let’s go step by step.

  1. Differentiate axax

    The derivative of axax with respect to xx is simply aa.

  2. Differentiate by2by^2

    Here yy is a function of xx, so by the chain rule:

ddx(by2)=b⋅2y⋅dydx=2bydydx.\frac{d}{dx}(by^2) = b \cdot 2y \cdot \frac{dy}{dx} = 2by \frac{dy}{dx}.

  1. Differentiate cos⁡y\cos y Again, yy is inside the cosine, so chain rule gives:

ddx(cos⁡y)=−sin⁡y⋅dydx.\frac{d}{dx}(\cos y) = -\sin y \cdot \frac{dy}{dx}.

  1. Put it together Differentiating both sides of ax+by2=cos⁡yax + by^2 = \cos y yields:

a+2bydydx=−sin⁡ydydx.a + 2by \frac{dy}{dx} = -\sin y \frac{dy}{dx}.

  1. Collect the dydx\frac{dy}{dx} terms Bring the term with dydx\frac{dy}{dx} from the right side to the left:

2bydydx+sin⁡ydydx=−a.2by \frac{dy}{dx} + \sin y \frac{dy}{dx} = -a.

  1. Factor out dydx\frac{dy}{dx}

dydx(2by+sin⁡y)=−a.\frac{dy}{dx} (2by + \sin y) = -a.

  1. Solve for dydx\frac{dy}{dx} Provided 2by+sin⁡y≠02by + \sin y \neq 0, we get:

dydx=−a2by+sin⁡y.\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{-a}{2by + \sin y}.

Watch out

A common mistake is forgetting the chain rule on by2by^2 and writing 2by2by without dydx\frac{dy}{dx}, or forgetting the minus sign when differentiating cos⁡y\cos y. Always check each term carefully.

Tip

If you ever get stuck, remember: implicit differentiation is just the chain rule applied to every yy term. The derivative of yy itself is dydx\frac{dy}{dx}, and everything else follows.

✓Final answer

The derivative is dydx=−a2by+sin⁡y\boxed{\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{-a}{2by + \sin y}}.

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