TITLE: Curvature of planar implicit curves
QUESTION [8 upvotes]: I am trying to understand how the curvature equation 
$$\kappa = -\frac{f_{xx} f_y^2-2f_{xy} f_x f_y + f_x^2 f_{yy}}{(f_x^2+f_y^2)^{3/2}}$$
for implicit curves is derived. These curves arise from equalities such as $f(x,y)=0$. I found this on the net:
http://www.cad.zju.edu.cn/home/zhx/GM/001/00-rep_dg.pdf
I can follow almost everything here until pg 49, then the author jumps to the final equation and I have no idea how he's done it. 
Can anyone help, or point to other possible derivations? I understand the parametric form of curvature equation which is $\kappa = | \frac{d\vec{T}}{ds} |$ where $\vec{T}$ is unit tangent, if any parallels need to be made to that subject, just in case.
And one more question: How do I expand the term below? 
$$\frac{\partial}{\partial x} \bigg( \frac{f_y}{\sqrt{f_x^2 + f_y^2}} \bigg)$$
Do I have to use the Quotient Rule?
$$\frac{d}{dx}(\frac{u}{v}) = \frac{v \frac{du}{dx} - u \frac{dv}{dx}}{v^2}$$
and in that case, I guess I would need to derive $\frac{\partial}{\partial x}(\sqrt{f_x^2+f_y^2})$. Would this be $\frac{1}{2}\frac{2f_x f_{xx} + 2f_y f_{yx}}{\sqrt{f_x^2+f_y^2}}$
Thanks again

REPLY [9 votes]: Let $(x_0,y_0)$ be a point of the curve $\gamma$ defined by $f(x,y)=0$, and let $s\mapsto(x(s),y(s))$ with $(x(0),y(0))=(x_0,y_0)$ be the parametric representation of $\gamma$ by arc length. Note that the sense of direction of $\gamma$ is not determined a priori, whence its curvature $\kappa$ is only determined up to sign. 
From $f\bigl(x(s),y(s)\bigr)\equiv 0$ we get $f_x\dot x+ f_y\dot y\equiv 0$, and as $\dot x^2 +\dot y^2\equiv 1$ we see that (up to sign)
$$\dot x={f_y\over\sigma},\quad \dot y=-{f_x\over\sigma}\qquad \left(\sigma:=\sqrt{f_x^2 + f_y^2}>0\right).\qquad(*)$$
To compute the curvature $\kappa$ we have to look at the polar angle of the tangent vector $(\dot x,\dot y)$, i.e., at
$$\theta:=\arg(\dot x,\dot y)=\arg(f_y, -f_x).$$ 
The chain rule gives
$$\kappa=\dot\theta={d\over ds}\arg(f_y,-f_x)=\nabla\arg(f_y,-f_x)\bullet\left({d\over ds}(f_y),{d\over ds} (-f_x)\right),$$
and using   the formula $\nabla\arg(u,v)=\left({-v\over u^2+v^2}, {u\over u^2+v^2}\right)$ we obtain
$$\kappa=\left({f_x\over\sigma^2},{f_y\over\sigma^2}\right)\bullet(f_{yx}\dot x+f_{yy}\dot y,\  -f_{xx}\dot x-f_{xy}\dot y)={-f_y^2 f_{xx}+2f_xf_yf_{xy}-f_x^2f_{yy}\over\sigma^3} $$
where we have used (*) and all partial derivatives of $f$ are to be evaluated at $(x_0,y_0)$.