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NCERT Exemplar · Q61

Q.If y=(cos⁡x)(cos⁡x)(cos⁡x)⋯∞y = (\cos x)^{(\cos x)^{(\cos x)^{\cdots\infty}}}, show that dydx=y2tan⁡xylog⁡cos⁡x−1\dfrac{dy}{dx} = \dfrac{y^2 \tan x}{y \log \cos x - 1}.

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This is an infinite power tower of cos⁡x\cos x, which converges for certain values. Using the property y=(cos⁡x)yy = (\cos x)^y, we take logs, differentiate implicitly, and rearrange to get dydx=y2tan⁡xylog⁡cos⁡x−1\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{y^2 \tan x}{y \log \cos x - 1}.

The key insight: when you see an infinite tower like aaa⋯a^{a^{a^{\cdots}}}, it means the exponent is the same expression all over again. So if yy equals the whole tower, then yy also equals (cos⁡x)y(\cos x)^y. This self-referential equation is the heart of the solution — it lets us avoid dealing with the infinite chain directly.

Let’s walk through it.

  1. Set up the self-referential equation Since the tower goes on forever, the exponent of the first cos⁡x\cos x is itself the entire tower. Therefore:

y=(cos⁡x)yy = (\cos x)^y

This is valid only where the tower converges (typically for e−e≤cos⁡x≤e1/ee^{-e} \le \cos x \le e^{1/e}, but we assume the domain is such that the expression is well-defined).

  1. Take the natural logarithm of both sides This brings the exponent down:

log⁡y=ylog⁡(cos⁡x)\log y = y \log(\cos x)

Notice: log⁡(cos⁡x)\log(\cos x) is defined when cos⁡x>0\cos x > 0, which is a natural domain restriction.

  1. Differentiate implicitly with respect to xx Both sides are functions of xx, and yy is a function of xx. Differentiate:
    • Left side: ddxlog⁡y=1y⋅dydx\frac{d}{dx} \log y = \frac{1}{y} \cdot \frac{dy}{dx}
    • Right side: use the product rule on y⋅log⁡(cos⁡x)y \cdot \log(\cos x):

ddx[ylog⁡(cos⁡x)]=dydx⋅log⁡(cos⁡x)+y⋅1cos⁡x⋅(−sin⁡x)\frac{d}{dx}[y \log(\cos x)] = \frac{dy}{dx} \cdot \log(\cos x) + y \cdot \frac{1}{\cos x} \cdot (-\sin x)

 The derivative of $\log(\cos x)$ is $\frac{-\sin x}{\cos x} = -\tan x$.

So we have:

1ydydx=dydxlog⁡(cos⁡x)−ytan⁡x\frac{1}{y} \frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{dy}{dx} \log(\cos x) - y \tan x

  1. Collect terms with dydx\frac{dy}{dx} Bring the dydxlog⁡(cos⁡x)\frac{dy}{dx} \log(\cos x) term to the left:

1ydydx−dydxlog⁡(cos⁡x)=−ytan⁡x\frac{1}{y} \frac{dy}{dx} - \frac{dy}{dx} \log(\cos x) = - y \tan x

Factor out dydx\frac{dy}{dx}:

dydx(1y−log⁡(cos⁡x))=−ytan⁡x\frac{dy}{dx} \left( \frac{1}{y} - \log(\cos x) \right) = - y \tan x

  1. Solve for dydx\frac{dy}{dx} Multiply both sides by yy to clear the fraction inside the bracket: …

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