Chapter 4 Functions of Two Variables Applied Calculus 240

Section 1: Functions of Two Variables

Real life is rarely as simple as one input – one output. Many relationships depend on lots of
variables. Examples:
• If I put a deposit into an interest-bearing account and let it sit, the amount I have at the
end of 3 years depends on P (how much my initial deposit is), r (the annual interest rate),
and n (the number of compoundings per year).
• The air resistance on a wing in a wind tunnel depends on the shape of the wing, the speed
of the wind, the wing’s orientation (pitch, yaw, and roll), plus a myriad of other things
that I can’t begin to describe.
• The amount of your television cable bill depends on which basic rate structure you have
chosen and how many pay-per-view movies you ordered.

Since the real world is so complicated, we want to extend our calculus ideas to functions of
several variables.

Functions of Two Variables

If x1 , x 2 , x 3 , ..., x n are real numbers, then ( x1 , x 2 , x 3 , ..., x n ) is called an n-tuple. This is an
extension of ordered pairs and triples. A function of n variables is a function whose domain is
some set of n-tuples and whose range is some set of real numbers.
For much of what we do here, everything would work the same if we were working with 2, 3, or
47 variables. Because we’re trying to keep things a little bit simple, we’ll concentrate on
functions of two variables.

A Function of Two Variables

A function of two variables is a function – that is, to each input is associated exactly one
output.

The inputs are ordered pairs, (x, y). The outputs are real numbers. The domain of a
function is the set of all possible inputs (ordered pairs); the range is the set of all possible
outputs (real numbers).

The function can be written z = f(x,y).

Functions of two variables can be described numerically (a table), graphically,

algebraically (a formula), or in English.

We will often now call the familiar y = f(x) a function of one variable.

Example 1
The cost of renting a car depends on how many days you keep it and how far you drive.
Represent this using a function.

Let d = the number of days you rent the car, and m = the number of miles you drive. Then the
cost of the car rental C(d, m) is a function of two variables.

This chapter is (c) 2013. It was remixed by David Lippman from Shana Calaway's remix of Contemporary Calculus
by Dale Hoffman. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
Chapter 4 Functions of Two Variables Applied Calculus 262

To estimate a partial derivative from a table or contour diagram:

The partial derivative with respect to x can be approximated by looking at an average rate
of change, or the slope of a secant line, over a very tiny interval in the x-direction
(holding y constant). The tinier the interval, the closer this is to the true partial
derivative.

To compute a partial derivative from a formula:

If f(x,y) is given as a formula, you can find the partial derivative with respect to x
algebraically by taking the ordinary derivative thinking of x as the only variable (holding
y fixed).

Of course, everything here works the same way if we’re trying to find the partial
derivative with respect to y – just think of y as your only variable and act as if x is
constant.

The idea of a partial derivative works perfectly well for a function of several variables –
you focus on one variable to be THE variable and act as if all the other variables are
constants.

Example 1
Here is a contour diagram for a function
g(x,y). Use the diagram to answer the
following questions:
a. Estimate g x (3,5) and g y (3,5)
b. Where on this diagram is g x greatest?
Where is g y greatest?

a. g x (3,5) means we're thinking of x as the

only variable, so we’ll hold y fixed at y = 5.
That means we’ll be looking along the
horizontal line y = 5. To estimate gx, we need
two function values. (3, 5) lies on the contour
line, so we know that g(3, 5) = 0.6. The next
point as we move to the right is g(4.2,5) = 0.7.

Now we can find the average rate of change:

∆g 0.7 − 0.6 1
Average rate of change = (change in output) / (change in input) = = = ≅ .083 .
∆x 4.2 − 3 12
We can do the same thing by going to the next point we can read to the left, which is g(2.4,5) =
∆g 0.5 − 0.6 1
0.5. Then the average rate of change is = = = ≅ .167 .
∆x 2.4 − 3 6
Either of these would be a fine estimate of g x (3,5) given the information we have, or you could
take their average. We can estimate that g x (3,5) ≅ .125 .
Chapter 4 Functions of Two Variables Applied Calculus 263

Estimate g y (3,5) the same way, but moving on the vertical line. Using the next point up, we
∆g 0.7 − 0.6
get the average rate of change = = = .125 . Using the next point down, we get
∆y 5.8 − 5
∆g 0.5 − 0.6
= = .2 . Taking their average, we estimate g y (3,5) ≅ .1625 .
∆y 4.5 − 5

b. g x means x is my only variable, and we're thinking of y as a constant. So we're thinking

about moving across the diagram on horizontal lines. g x will be greatest when the contour lines
∆g
are closest together, when the surface is steepest – then the denominator in will be small, so
∆x
∆g
will be big. Scanning the graph, we can see that the contour lines are closest together when
∆x
we head to the left or to the right from about (0.5, 8) and (9, 8). So g x is greatest at about (0.5,
8) and (9, 8). For g y , I want to look at vertical lines. g y is greatest at about (5, 3.8) and (5,
12).

Example 2
Cold temperatures feel colder when the wind is blowing. Windchill is the perceived
temperature, and it depends on both the actual temperature and the wind speed – a function of
two variables! You can read more about windchill at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/.
Below is a table (courtesy of the National Weather Service) that shows the perceived
temperature for various temperatures and windspeeds. Note that they also include the formula,
but for this example we'll use the information in the table.

a. What is the perceived temperature when the actual temperature is 25˚F and the wind is
blowing at 15 miles per hour?
b. Suppose the actual temperature is 25˚F. Use information from the table to describe how the
perceived temperature would change if the wind speed increased from 15 miles per hour?
Chapter 4 Functions of Two Variables Applied Calculus 264

a. Reading the table, we see that the perceived temperature is 13˚F.

b. This is a question about a partial derivative. We’re holding the temperature (T) fixed at 25˚F,
and asking what happens as wind speed (V) increases from 15 miles per hour. We’re thinking
of V as the only variable, so we want WindChillV = WV when T = 25 and V = 15. We’ll find
the average rate of change by looking in the column where T = 25 and letting V increase, and
use that to approximate the partial derivative.
∆W 11 − 13
WV ≅ = = −0.4
∆V 20 − 15
What are the units? W is measured in ˚F and V is measured in mph, so the units here are
˚F/mph. And that lets us describe what happens:
The perceived temperature would decrease by about .4˚F for each mph increase in wind speed.

Example 3
Find f x and f y at the points (0, 0) and (1, 1) if f (x, y ) = x 2 − 4 xy + 4 y 2

To find f x , take the ordinary derivative of f with respect to x, acting as if y is constant:

f x ( x, y ) = 2 x − 4 y
Note that the derivative of the 4 y 2 term with respect to x is zero – it’s a constant.
Similarly, f y ( x, y ) = −4 x + 8 y .

Now we can evaluate these at the points:

Chapter 4 Functions of Two Variables Applied Calculus 265

f x (0,0) = 0 and f y (0,0 ) = 0 ; this tells us that the cross sections parallel to the x- and y- axes are
both flat at (0,0).

f x (1,1) = −2 and f y (1,1) = 4 ; this tells us that above the point (1, 1), the surface decreases if you
move to more positive x values and increases if you move to more positive y values.

Example 4
∂f ∂f e x+ y
Find and if f ( x, y ) = 3 + y (ln y )
∂x ∂y y +y

∂f
means x is our only variable, we’re thinking of y as a constant. Then we’ll just find the
∂x
ordinary derivative. From x’s point of view, this is an exponential function, divided by a
constant, with a constant added. The constant pulls out in front, the derivative of the
exponential function is the same thing, and we need to use the chain rule, so we multiply by the
derivative of that exponent (which is just 1):
∂f 1
= 3 e x+ y
∂x y + y

∂f
means that we’re thinking of y as the variable, acting as if x is constant. From y’s point of
∂y
view, f is a quotient plus a product – we’ll need the quotient rule and the product rule:
∂f ( )( ) − ( )( )
= + ( )( ) + ( )( )
∂y ( )2
=
(e (1))(y
x+ y 3
) ( )(
+ y − e x+ y 3 y 2 + 1 ) + (1)(ln y ) + ( y ) 1 
 y
(y + y )
3 2
 

Example 5
1
Find f z if f ( x, y, z , w) = 35 x 2 w − + yz 2
z

f z means we act as if z is our only variable, so we’ll act as if all the other variables (x, y and w)
are constants and take the ordinary derivative.
1
f z ( x, y, z , w) = 2 + 2 yz
z