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Miscellaneous Exercise · Q7

Q.Find dydx\frac{dy}{dx} in the following: (log⁡x)log⁡x,x>1(\log x)^{\log x}, x > 1

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For a function of the form y=(log⁡x)log⁡xy = (\log x)^{\log x}, we use logarithmic differentiation: take the natural log of both sides, differentiate implicitly, and solve for dydx\frac{dy}{dx}. The result is dydx=(log⁡x)log⁡x⋅1+log⁡(log⁡x)x\frac{dy}{dx} = (\log x)^{\log x} \cdot \frac{1 + \log(\log x)}{x}.

The core idea here is implicit differentiation — but why do we need it? The function y=(log⁡x)log⁡xy = (\log x)^{\log x} has the variable xx in both the base and the exponent. Standard differentiation rules (like the power rule or the exponential rule) only handle one of these at a time. The power rule assumes a constant exponent; the exponential rule assumes a constant base. Here, both are changing with xx, so we need a technique that untangles them.

Logarithmic differentiation is the perfect tool. By taking the natural logarithm of both sides, we convert the exponentiation into a product, which we can then differentiate using the chain rule and product rule. The logarithm "brings down" the exponent, making the relationship linear in terms of the logs.

Let’s work through it step by step.

  1. Set up the equation.

    Let y=(log⁡x)log⁡xy = (\log x)^{\log x}, where log⁡x\log x denotes the natural logarithm (base ee), and x>1x > 1 ensures log⁡x>0\log x > 0, so the expression is well-defined.

  2. Take the natural logarithm of both sides.

    This is the key move:

log⁡y=log⁡((log⁡x)log⁡x)\log y = \log \left( (\log x)^{\log x} \right)

Using the power property of logarithms, log⁡(ab)=blog⁡a\log(a^b) = b \log a, we get:

log⁡y=(log⁡x)⋅log⁡(log⁡x)\log y = (\log x) \cdot \log(\log x)

Notice that log⁡(log⁡x)\log(\log x) is just the natural log of log⁡x\log x — don’t confuse it with log⁡(log⁡x)\log(\log x); they are the same here since log⁡\log means natural log.

  1. Differentiate both sides with respect to xx. The left side: ddx(log⁡y)=1y⋅dydx\frac{d}{dx} (\log y) = \frac{1}{y} \cdot \frac{dy}{dx} (by the chain rule, since yy is a function of xx). The right side: ddx[(log⁡x)⋅log⁡(log⁡x)]\frac{d}{dx} \left[ (\log x) \cdot \log(\log x) \right] requires the product rule. Let u=log⁡xu = \log x and v=log⁡(log⁡x)v = \log(\log x). Then:

ddx(uv)=u′v+uv′\frac{d}{dx}(u v) = u' v + u v'

Compute u′u': u=log⁡xu = \log x, so u′=1xu' = \frac{1}{x}.

Compute v′v': v=log⁡(log⁡x)v = \log(\log x). Let w=log⁡xw = \log x, then v=log⁡wv = \log w, so v′=1w⋅w′=1log⁡x⋅1x=1xlog⁡xv' = \frac{1}{w} \cdot w' = \frac{1}{\log x} \cdot \frac{1}{x} = \frac{1}{x \log x}.

Putting it together:

ddx[(log⁡x)⋅log⁡(log⁡x)]=1x⋅log⁡(log⁡x)+(log⁡x)⋅1xlog⁡x\frac{d}{dx} \left[ (\log x) \cdot \log(\log x) \right] = \frac{1}{x} \cdot \log(\log x) + (\log x) \cdot \frac{1}{x \log x}

Simplify the second term: (log⁡x)⋅1xlog⁡x=1x(\log x) \cdot \frac{1}{x \log x} = \frac{1}{x}. …

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