Animportantclass ofimplicitfunctionscomprises those definedbyequationsof theform. Choosing as the value means that the implicit function is the inverse of . This type of implicit function is of particular interest when that inverse is not expressible as a closed-form expression, and thus is difficult to study directly.
1871, William G. Peck, Practical Treatise on the Differential and Integral Calculus, A. S. Barnes & Company, page 50:
Thus, in theequation, ; is an implicit function of . Implicit functions are generally connected with their variables by one or more equations. When these equations are solved the implicit equation becomes explicit. […]The differential of an implicit function may be found without first finding the function itself.
1875, J. Minot Rice, W. Woolsey Johnson, The Elements of the Differential Calculus, Part 2, Washington: Government Printing Office, page 71: