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Lecture 3.4 - Partial Differentials

The document defines and provides examples of calculating partial derivatives. It introduces partial derivatives as the derivative of a function of two variables with respect to one variable, holding the other constant. Rules are provided for calculating the partial derivatives ∂z/∂x and ∂z/∂y of a function z=f(x,y). Higher order partial derivatives are also defined. Examples calculate partial derivatives of various functions both explicitly and implicitly defined.

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16 views17 pages

Lecture 3.4 - Partial Differentials

The document defines and provides examples of calculating partial derivatives. It introduces partial derivatives as the derivative of a function of two variables with respect to one variable, holding the other constant. Rules are provided for calculating the partial derivatives ∂z/∂x and ∂z/∂y of a function z=f(x,y). Higher order partial derivatives are also defined. Examples calculate partial derivatives of various functions both explicitly and implicitly defined.

Uploaded by

Sabwa Michael
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MTH154S

ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS

Differential Calculus
Chapter 3.4
Partial differentials
Introduction
 If f is a function of two variables x and y,
suppose we let only x vary while keeping y
fixed, say y = b, where b is a constant.
 Then we are really considering a function of a
single variable x, namely, g(x) = f(x, b).
 If g has a derivative at a, then we call it the partial
derivative of f with respect to x at (a, b) and denote
it by fx(a, b).
Introduction (cont’d)
 Thus

 The definition of a derivative gives


Introduction (cont’d)
 Similarly, the partial derivative of f with respect to y
at (a, b), denoted by fy(a, b), is obtained by holding
x = a and finding the ordinary derivative at b of
the function G(y) = f(a, y):
Partial Derivatives-Definition

If z = f (x, y) is a function of two variables, its


partial derivatives are the functions ∂z/∂x and
∂z/∂y defined by

z f ( x  h, y )  f ( x, y )
 lim
x h  0 h
z f ( x, y  h )  f ( x, y )
 lim
y h  0 h
Notations
 There are many alternate notations for partial
derivatives:
Rule for Finding Partial Derivatives of
z = f (x, y)

1. To find ∂z/∂x, regard y as a constant and


differentiate f (x, y) with respect to x.
2. To find ∂z/∂y, regard x as a constant and
differentiate f (x, y) with respect to y.
Example 1:
 If f(x, y) = x3 + x2y3 –2y2, find fx and fy.
Solution :
 Holding y constant and differentiating with
respect to x, we get
fx(x, y) = 3x2 + 2xy3

 Holding x constant and differentiating with


respect to y, we get
fy(x, y) = 3x2y2 – 4y
Class problem 1 : 3 minutes
Example 2:

 If

 Solution Using the Chain Rule for functions of


one variable, we have
Example 3:

 Find ∂z/∂x and ∂z/∂y if z is defined implicitly as


a function of x and y by
x3 + y3 + z3 + 6xyz = 1
 Solution To find ∂z/∂x, we differentiate
implicitly with respect to x, being careful to treat
y as a constant:
Solution (cont’d)

 Solving this equation for ∂z/∂x, we obtain

 Similarly, implicit differentiation with respect to


y gives
Higher Derivatives

 If f is a function of two variables, then its partial


derivatives fx and fy are also functions of two
variables, so we can consider their partial
derivatives
(fx)x , (fx)y , (fy)x , and (fy)y ,

which are called the second partial derivatives of f.


cont’d

 If z = f(x, y), we use the following notation:


Example 4:

 Find the second partial derivatives of


f(x, y) = x3 + x2y3 – 2y2
 Solution Earlier we found that
fx(x, y) = 3x2 + 2xy3 fy(x, y) = 3x2y2 – 4y
 Therefore
Class problem 2: 5 minutes
Thank You

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