MATH1013 Tutorial 7

Derivatives of Inverse Functions

1
If f is one-to-one and differentiable, x is a number such that f 0 [f −1 (x)] 6= 0, then (f −1 )0 (x) = .
f 0 [f −1 (x)]
1 1 1 1
(ln x)0 = (sin−1 x)0 = √ (cos−1 x)0 = − √ (tan−1 x)0 =
x 1 − x2 1 − x2 1 + x2

Example 1. Suppose f (x) = x3 + 3x + 2, find (f −1 )0 (6).

Notice that f −1 (6) = 1, and f 0 (x) = 3x2 + 3,
1 1 1
(f −1 )0 (6) = = 0 =
f 0 [f −1 (6)] f (1) 6

ex − e−x √
Example 2. Refer to a previous tutorial, if sinh x = , then sinh−1 x = ln(x + x2 + 1).
2
(a) Find (sinh−1 )0 ( 34 ) by using the formula for the derivative of inverse function.
√
(b) Find (sinh−1 )0 ( 34 ) by directly differentiating sinh−1 x = ln(x + x2 + 1).
(a) Note that  s  
2
3 3 3
sinh−1 = ln  + + 1 = ln 2
4 4 4

and 0
ex − e−x ex + e−x

(sinh x)0 = =
2 2
so
3 1 1 4
(sinh−1 )0 ( ) = = eln 2 +e− ln 2
=
4 (sinh)0 (ln 2) 2
5
(b) Directly differentiating,
 
−1 0 1 2x
(sinh ) (x) = √ · 1+ √
x + x2 + 1 2 x2 + 1
√
1 2
x +1+x
= √ · √
x+ x +12 x2 + 1
1
=√
x2 + 1
so
3 1 4
(sinh−1 )0 ( ) = q =
4 ( 43 )2 + 1 5

1
   √
x 9 − x2
Example 3. Refer to a previous tutorial, if f (x) = cos tan−1 √ , then f (x) can be simplified as .
9 − x
2
 3
x
(a) Find f 0 (x) by directly differentiating the formula f (x) = cos tan−1 √ .
√ 9 − x2
9 − x2
(b) Find f 0 (x) by differentiating the simplified formula f (x) = .
3
 
(a) Note that sin tan−1 √9−x x
2
= x3 by constructing a right angled triangled with angle θ = tan−1 √9−x x
2
.

√  
  9 − x2 − x √−2x
x 1 2 9−x2
f 0 (x) = − sin tan−1 √ · 2 ·
9 − x2 9− x2

1+ √ x
9−x2

x 9 − x2 9
=− · ·
3 9 (9 − x2 )3/2
−x
= √
3 9 − x2

(b)
1 −2x −x
f 0 (x) = · √ = √
3 2 9 − x2 3 9 − x2

Logarithmic Differentiation
For functions which involve a product/quotient of lots of terms or exponent of functions, it is helpful to take a logarithm
before differentiating.

(ex + 1)(3x − 1)
Example 4. Find f 0 ( 13 ) if f (x) = .
(x2 + 2)(x + 3)
Taking logarithm on both sides,
 x 
(e + 1)(3x − 1)
ln f (x) = ln = ln(ex + 1) + ln(3x − 1) − ln(x2 + 2) − ln(x + 3)
(x2 + 2)(x + 3)

then differentiate both sides with respect to x,

f 0 (x) ex 3 2x 1
= x + − −
f (x) e + 1 3x − 1 x2 + 2 x + 3
(ex + 1)(3x − 1)
 x 
e 3 2x 1
f 0 (x) = + − −
(x2 + 2)(x + 3) ex + 1 3x − 1 x2 + 2 x + 3
ex (3x − 1) 3(ex + 1) 2x(ex + 1)(3x − 1) (ex + 1)(3x − 1)
= 2 + 2 − − 2
(x + 2)(x + 3) (x + 2)(x + 3) (x2 + 2)2 (x + 3) (x + 2)(x + 3)2

Thus
1 3(e1/3 + 1) 3(e1/3 + 1) 81(e1/3 + 1)
f 0( ) = 1 2 1 = 19 10 =
3 [( 3 ) + 2]( 3 + 3) ( 9 )( 3 ) 190

2
 x
Example 5. Let f (x) = xx and g(x) = xx , find f 0 (x) and g 0 (x).
ln f (x) = ln(xx ) = x ln x, differentiating both sides,

f 0 (x) 1
= ln x + x ·
f (x) x
f 0 (x) = xx (ln x + 1)
x
ln g(x) = ln(xx ) = xx ln x, differentiating both sides

g 0 (x) 1
= xx (ln x + 1) ln x + xx ·
g(x) x
= xx (ln x + 1) ln x + xx−1
x
g 0 (x) = xx [xx (ln x + 1) ln x + xx−1 ]

Related Rates
In application, we want to find the rate of change of a quantity, given the rate of change of another quantity.
We will write down the relation of the quantities involved and differentiate with respect to time t in order to find out
the required rate of change.

Example 6. A water tank has a shape of an inverted circular cone (with vertex pointing downwards). The top
radius of the tank is 6 m and the altitude is 4 m. Water is leaking from the tank at a rate of 5 m3 /hr when the
depth of water is 3 m, find the rate of the depth of water is changing at this moment.

Let h denote the depth of water in the tank.

6 3h
By considering similar triangles, the radius of the portion of the tank occupied by water is r = h = .
4 2
The volume of water can be written in terms of h as
1 2
V = πr h
3
 2
1 3h
= π h
3 2
3
= πh3
4
Differentiating with respect to t,
dV 3 dh
= π(3h2 )
dt 4 dt
9πh2 dh
=
4 dt
dV
At that moment when h = 3, = −5, so
dt h=3

dh 4 dV
=
dt h=3 9π(3)2 dt h=3
4
= (−5)
81π
20
=−
81π
20
the depth of water is decreasing at − m/hr.
81π

3
Example 7. Suppose a hot air balloon is rising vertically upward, and it is tracked by a scout standing 500 m apart
from the liftoff point. At the moment the scout’s elevation angle is π/4, the angle is increasing at the rate of 0.14
rad/min. How fast is the balloon rising at that moment?
Let y denote the height of the balloon, θ denote the angle of elevation, then

y = 500 tan θ
dy dθ
= 500 sec2 θ
dt dt
π
When θ = ,
4
dy π dθ
= 500 sec2
dt θ= π 4 dt θ= π
4 4
√
= 500( 2)2 (0.14)
= 140

the balloon is rising at 140m/min.

Example 8. The price (in dollars) p and the quantity demanded q are related by p2 + 2q 2 = 1100. If R = pq is the
dR dp
revenue, find the value of when q = 15 and = 5.
dt dt
Differentiating R with respect to t,
dR dq dp
=p +q
dt dt dt
When q = 15, p p √
p= 1100 − 2q 2 = 1100 − 2(15)2 = 650
2 2
Differentiating the equation p + 2q = 1100 with respect to t,
dp dq
2p + 4q =0
dt dt
√ dp
so that when p = 650, q = 15 and = 5,
dt
√ dq
2 650(5) + 4(15) =0
dt √
dq −10 650
=
dt √60
− 650
=
6
Hence
dR dq dp
=p +q
dt dt dt
√
√ − 650
= 650 · + (15)(5)
6
100
=−
3