Final answer:
To find dy/dx using implicit differentiation for cos(y) = 3x⁴ - 3, we differentiate both sides and solve for dy/dx, resulting in dy/dx = -12x³ / sin(y). For the slope at a specific point, substitute the point's x and y values into this expression.
Step-by-step explanation:
To use implicit differentiation to find the derivative of dy/dx, given the equation cos(y) = 3x⁴ - 3, we differentiate both sides with respect to x.
Step 1: Differentiate both sides
Take the derivative of cos(y):
d/dx [cos(y)] = -sin(y) (dy/dx)
Now take the derivative of 3x⁴ - 3:
d/dx [3x⁴ - 3] = 12x³
Step 2: Equate and solve for dy/dx
Now we set
-sin(y) (dy/dx) = 12x³,
and solve for dy/dx:
dy/dx = -12x³ / sin(y).
To find the slope of the curve at a specific point, we need to substitute x and y values of that point into the expression for dy/dx.
Example for a given point:
For instance, if the point is (1, π/2), we substitute these values into the dy/dx equation:
dy/dx = -12(1)³ / sin(π/2) = -12