SECTION 11.

6 DIRECTIONAL DERIVATIVES AND THE GRADIENT VECTOR ■ 799

11.6 Exercises
1. A contour map of barometric pressure (in millibars) is 5. f sx, yd ­ s5x 2 4y , s4, 1d, u ­ 2py6
shown for 7:00 A.M. on September 12, 1960, when
6. f sx, yd ­ x sinsxyd, s2, 0d, u ­ py3
Hurricane Donna was raging. Estimate the value of the
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

directional derivative of the pressure function at Raleigh,

North Carolina, in the direction of the eye of the hurricane.
7–10
What are the units of the directional derivative?
(a) Find the gradient of f .
(b) Evaluate the gradient at the point P.
(c) Find the rate of change of f at P in the direction of the
vector u.
u ­ k 13 , 13 l
5 12
7. f sx, yd ­ 5xy 2 2 4x 3y, Ps1, 2d,
Ps1, 23d, u ­ k2 5 , 5 l
4 3
8. f sx, yd ­ y ln x,

u ­ k 23 , 2 3 , 3 l
2 1
9. f sx, y, zd ­ xe 2 yz, Ps3, 0, 2d,
Image not available due to copyright restrictions
u ­ k 7, 7, 7 l
2 3 6
10. f sx, y, zd ­ sx 1 yz , Ps1, 3, 1d,
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

11–15 Find the directional derivative of the function at the

given point in the direction of the vector v.
11. f sx, yd ­ 1 1 2x sy , s3, 4d, v ­ k4, 23 l
2 2
12. f sx, yd ­ lnsx 1 y d, s2, 1d, v ­ k 21, 2 l
13. tss, td ­ s 2e t, s2, 0d, v­i1j
14. f sx, y, zd ­ xys y 1 zd, s4, 1, 1d, v ­ k1, 2, 3l
2. The contour map shows the average annual snowfall (in
inches) near Lake Michigan. Estimate the value of the 15. tsx, y, zd ­ sx 1 2y 1 3zd 3y2, s1, 1, 2d, v ­ 2 j 2 k
directional derivative of this snowfall function at Muskegon, ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Michigan, in the direction of Ludington. What are the units?

16. Use the figure to estimate Du f s2, 2d.

y
(2, 2)
u
±f (2, 2)

0 x
Image not available due to copyright restrictions

17. Find the directional derivative of f sx, yd ­ sxy at Ps2, 8d

in the direction of Qs5, 4d.
18. Find the directional derivative of f sx, y, zd ­ x 2 1 y 2 1 z 2
at Ps2, 1, 3d in the direction of the origin.

19–22 Find the maximum rate of change of f at the given

point and the direction in which it occurs.
3. A table of values for the wind-chill index W ­ f sT, vd is
given in Exercise 3 on page 766. Use the table to estimate 19. f sx, yd ­ y 2yx, s2, 4d
the value of Du f s220, 30d, where u ­ si 1 jdys2. 20. f s p, qd ­ qe 2p
1 pe 2q, s0, 0d
2 3
4–6 Find the directional derivative of f at the given point in 21. f sx, y, zd ­ lnsxy z d, s1, 22, 23d
the direction indicated by the angle u.
22. f sx, y, zd ­ tansx 1 2y 1 3zd, s25, 1, 1d
4. f sx, yd ­ x 2 y 3 2 y 4, s2, 1d, u ­ py4 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
800 ■ CHAPTER 11 PARTIAL DERIVATIVES

23. (a) Show that a differentiable function f decreases most 31. Let f be a function of two variables that has continuous
rapidly at x in the direction opposite to the gradient partial derivatives and consider the points As1, 3d, Bs3, 3d,
vector, that is, in the direction of 2= f sxd. Cs1, 7d, and Ds6, 15d. The directional derivative of f at A in
l
(b) Use the result of part (a) to find the direction in which the direction of the vector AB is 3 and the directional deriv-
l
the function f sx, yd ­ x 4 y 2 x 2 y 3 decreases fastest at ative at A in the direction of AC is 26. Find the directional
l
the point s2, 23d. derivative of f at A in the direction of the vector AD .

24. Find the directions in which the directional derivative of 32. For the given contour map draw the curves of steepest
f sx, yd ­ x 2 1 sin xy at the point (1, 0) has the value 1. ascent starting at P and at Q.

25. Find all points at which the direction of fastest change of Q

the function f sx, yd ­ x 2 1 y 2 2 2 x 2 4y is i 1 j.

26. Near a buoy, the depth of a lake at the point with coordi-
nates sx, yd is z ­ 200 1 0.02x 2 2 0.001y 3, where x, y, and 60 20
50 30
z are measured in meters. A fisherman in a small boat starts 40
at the point s80, 60d and moves toward the buoy, which is
located at s0, 0d. Is the water under the boat getting deeper
or shallower when he departs? Explain. P

27. The temperature T in a metal ball is inversely proportional

33. Show that the operation of taking the gradient of a function
to the distance from the center of the ball, which we take to
has the given property. Assume that u and v are differen-
be the origin. The temperature at the point s1, 2, 2d is 1208.
tiable functions of x and y and a, b are constants.
(a) Find the rate of change of T at s1, 2, 2d in the direction
(a) =sau 1 b vd ­ a =u 1 b =v
toward the point s2, 1, 3d.
(b) Show that at any point in the ball the direction of great- (b) =su vd ­ u =v 1 v =u
est increase in temperature is given by a vector that
points toward the origin.
(c) =SD n
u
v
­
v =u 2 u =v

n21
v2
(d) =u ­ nu =u
28. The temperature at a point sx, y, zd is given by
34. Sketch the gradient vector = f s4, 6d for the function f
2
23y 229z 2
Tsx, y, zd ­ 200e2x whose level curves are shown. Explain how you chose the
direction and length of this vector.
where T is measured in 8C and x, y, z in meters.
(a) Find the rate of change of temperature at the point y
Ps2, 21, 2d in the direction toward the point s3, 23, 3d.
(b) In which direction does the temperature increase fastest _5
at P ? 6 (4, 6)
_3
(c) Find the maximum rate of increase at P.

29. Suppose that over a certain region of space the electrical _1

4
potential V is given by Vsx, y, zd ­ 5x 2 2 3xy 1 xyz. 0
(a) Find the rate of change of the potential at Ps3, 4, 5d in 1 3 5
the direction of the vector v ­ i 1 j 2 k.
2
(b) In which direction does V change most rapidly at P ?
(c) What is the maximum rate of change at P ?

30. Suppose you are climbing a hill whose shape is given by the 0 2 4 6 x
equation z ­ 1000 2 0.005x 2 2 0.01y 2, where x, y, and z
are measured in meters, and you are standing at a point with
coordinates s60, 40, 966d. The positive x-axis points east 35–38 Find equations of (a) the tangent plane and (b) the
and the positive y-axis points north. normal line to the given surface at the specified point.
(a) If you walk due south, will you start to ascend or 35. x 2 2 2y 2 1 z 2 1 yz ­ 2, s2, 1, 21d
descend? At what rate?
(b) If you walk northwest, will you start to ascend or 36. x 2 z ­ 4 arctans yzd, s1 1 p, 1, 1d
descend? At what rate? 37. z 1 1 ­ xe y cos z, s1, 0, 0d
(c) In which direction is the slope largest? What is the rate
of ascent in that direction? At what angle above the hor- 38. yz ­ lnsx 1 zd, s0, 0, 1d
izontal does the path in that direction begin? ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■