implicit differentiation

American  

noun

Mathematics.

1. a method of finding the derivative of an implicit function by taking the derivative of each term with respect to the independent variable while keeping the derivative of the dependent variable with respect to the independent variable in symbolic form and then solving for that derivative.

---

Etymology

Origin of implicit differentiation

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

For the following exercises, use implicit differentiation to determine y′.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

To do this, we need to use implicit differentiation.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

To find the derivatives of the inverse functions, we use implicit differentiation.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

By using implicit differentiation, we can find the equation of a tangent line to the graph of a curve.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016