How do you find an equation of the tangent line to the curve xe^y+ye^x = 1 at the point (0,1)?

1 Answer
Mar 5, 2018

y=-[e+1]x+1

Explanation:

Given, xe^y+ye^x=1 We need to differentiate both sides implicitly with respect to x using the product and chain rule.

Product rule d/dx[uv]=vdu/dx+udv/dx where v and u are both
functins of x.

So differentiating implicitly both sides, d/dx[ xe^y+ye^x]= e^y+xe^ydy/dx+e^xdy/dx+ye^x=[ differential of a constant is zero]

Factoring, collecting like terms and tidying up.....

dy/dx[xe^y+e^x]=-[e^y+ye^x] and so dy/dx=-[e^y+ye^x]/ [xe^y+e^x] and substituting in the values for x and y..ie.[0,1

dy/dx=-[e^1+[1]e^0]/[[0]e^1+e^0]=-[e+1]/1=-[e+1] ie. [the gradient]#.

Equation of tangent line is [y-y1]=[m[x-x1]] where 'm' is the gradient, and so we have [ from the given coordinates]

y-1=-[e+1][x-0] and so y=-[e+1]x+1.