Question:medium

If \( x = \frac{1 - t^2}{1 + t^2} \) and \( y = \frac{2t}{1 + t^2} \), then \( \frac{dy}{dx} \) is equal to:

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When differentiating parametric equations, use the chain rule carefully and substitute back to simplify the result.
Updated On: Mar 28, 2026
  • \( -\frac{y}{x} \)
  • \( \frac{y}{x} \)
  • \( -\frac{x}{y} \)
  • \( \frac{x}{y} \)
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

The parametric equations provided are: \[ x = \frac{1 - t^2}{1 + t^2}, \quad y = \frac{2t}{1 + t^2}. \] Step 1: Perform a trigonometric substitution. Let \( t = \tan\theta \). Substituting this into the expressions for \( x \) and \( y \) yields: \[ x = \cos 2\theta, \quad y = \sin 2\theta. \] Step 2: Differentiate both \( x \) and \( y \) with respect to \( \theta \). The derivatives are: \[ \frac{dx}{d\theta} = -2\sin 2\theta, \quad \frac{dy}{d\theta} = 2\cos 2\theta. \] Calculate \( \frac{dy}{dx} \) using the chain rule: \[ \frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{\frac{dy}{d\theta}}{\frac{dx}{d\theta}} = \frac{2\cos 2\theta}{-2\sin 2\theta} = -\cot 2\theta. \] Step 3: Simplify the resulting expression. Utilizing trigonometric identities, we obtain: \[ \frac{dy}{dx} = -\frac{x}{y}. \] The solution is \( \boxed{(3)} \).
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