CALCULUS II

Chapter 1: FUNCTIONS OF SEVERAL VARIABLES

LE THAI THANH

HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Unit 1: DEFINITIONS AND PARTIAL DERIVATIVES

FUNCTIONS OF TWO
VARIABLES
Definition 1: A function f of two variables is a rule that
assigns to each ordered pair of real numbers px , y q in a set D
a unique real number denoted by f px , y q. The set D is the
domain of f and its range is the set of values that f takes
on, that is, tf px , y q : px , y q P Du.
We often write z “ f px , y q to make explicit the value taken
on by f at the general point px , y q. The variables x and y
are independent variables and z is the dependent variable.
 A function of two variables
is just a function whose do-
main is a subset of R2 and
whose range is a subset of
R.

One way of visualizing such a function is by means of an ar-

row diagram (see Figure), where the domain D is represented
as a subset of the xy -plane and the range is a set of numbers
on a real line, shown as a z-axis.
If a function f is given by a formula and no domain is speci-
fied, then the domain of f is understood to be the set of all
pairs px , y q for which the given expression is a well-defined
real number.
Example 1: Find and sketch the domain of
?
x `y `1
f px , y q “
x ´1
Solution : The expression for f makes sense if the denomi-
nator is not zero and the quantity under the square root sign
is nonnegative. So the domain of f is

D “ tpx , y q : x ` y ` 1 ě 0, x ‰ 1u

The inequality x ` y ` 1 ě 0 describes the points that lie on

or above the line y “ ´x ´ 1, while x ‰ 1 means that the
points on the line x “ 1 must be excluded from the domain.
Example 2: Find the domain and range of gpx , y q “
a
9 ´ x 2 ´ y 2.

Solution : The domain of g is

D “ tpx , y q : 9 ´ x 2 ´ y 2 ě 0u “ tpx , y q : x 2 ` y 2 ď 9u

which is the disk with center p0, 0q and radius 3. The range
of g is
a
R “ tz : z “ 9 ´ x 2 ´ y 2 , @px , y q P Du
Since z is a positive square root, z ě 0. Also, because

9 ´ x2 ´ y2 ď 9

we have
a
9 ´ x2 ´ y2 ď 3

So the range is

R “ tz : 0 ď z ď 3u “ r0, 3s
GRAPHS
Definition 2: If f is a function of two variables with domain
D, then the graph of f is the set of all points px , y , zq in the
space R3 such that z “ f px , y q for all px , y q in D.

Just as the graph of a func-

tion f of one variable is a
curve C with equation y “
f px q, so the graph of a
function f of two variables
is a surface S with equation
z “ f px , y q. We can visual-
ize the graph S of f as lying
directly above or below its
domain D in the xy -plane.
Example 3: The graph of f has the equation z “ 6´3x ´2y ,
or 3x ` 2y ` z “ 6, which represents a plane. To graph the
plane we first find the intercepts. Putting y “ z “ 0 in the
equation, we get x “ 2 as the x -intercept. Similarly, the
y -intercept is 3 and the z-intercept is 6. This helps us sketch
the portion of the graph that lies in the first octant.
 a
Example 4: The graph of gpx , y q “ 9 ´ x 2 ´ y 2 has the
a
equation z “ 9 ´ x 2 ´ y 2 . We square both sides of this
equation to obtain x 2 ` y 2 ` z 2 “ 9, which we recognize as
an equation of the sphere with center the origin and radius
3. But, since z ě 0, the graph of g is just the top half of
this sphere.
LEVEL CURVES
Definition 3: The level curves of a function f of two vari-
ables are the curves with equations f px , y q “ k, where k is a
constant (in the range of f ).

A level curve f px , y q “ k
is the set of all points in
the domain of f at which f
takes on a given value k. In
other words, it shows where
the graph of f has height k.

You can see from Figure the relation between level curves
and horizontal traces. The level curves f px , y q “ k are just
the traces of the graph of f in the horizontal plane z “ k
projected down to the xy -plane.
Example 5: Sketch some level curves of the function
f px , y q “ 4x 2 ` y 2 ` 1.

Solution : The level curves are 4x 2 ` y 2 ` 1 “ k ô

x2 y2
1 ` “ 1, which, for k ą 1, describes a family
4 pk ´ 1q
k ´1
of ellipses.
PARTIAL DERIVATIVES
Definition 4: If f is a function of two variables, its partial
derivatives are defined by
Bf f px ` h, y q ´ f px , y q
fx px , y q “ “ lim
Bx hÑ0 h
Bf f px , y ` hq ´ f px , y q
fy px , y q “ “ lim
By hÑ0 h

Rule for Finding Partial Derivatives of z “ f px , y q

(a) To find fx , regard y as a constant and differentiate

f px , y q with respect to x .
(b) To find fy , regard x as a constant and differentiate
f px , y q with respect to y .
Example 6: If f px , y q “ x 3 ` x 2 y 3 ´ 2y 2 , find fx p2, 1q and
fy p2, 1q.

Solution : Holding y constant and differentiating with re-

spect to x , we get
fx px , y q “ 3x 2 ` 2xy 3

and so fx p2, 1q “ 3 ¨ 22 ` 2 ¨ 2 ¨ 13 “ 16.

Holding x constant and differentiating with respect to y , we
get
fy px , y q “ 3x 2 y 2 ´ 4y

and so fy p2, 1q “ 3 ¨ 22 ¨ 12 ´ 4 ¨ 1 “ 8
INTERPRETATIONS OF
PARTIAL DERIVATIVES
To give a geometric interpretation of partial derivatives, we
recall that the equation z “ f px , y q represents a surface S
(the graph of f ). If f pa, bq “ c, then the point Ppa, b, cq lies
on S.
By fixing y “ b, we are restricting our attention to the curve
C1 in which the vertical plane y “ b intersects S. (In other
words, C1 is the trace of S in the plane y “ b.) Likewise, the
vertical plane x “ a intersects S in a curve C2 . Both of the
curves C1 and C2 pass through the point P. (See Figure.)
Notice that the curve C1 is the graph of the function gpx q “
f px , bq, so the slope of its tangent T1 at P is g 1 paq “ fx pa, bq.
The curve C2 is the graph of the function hpy q “ f pa, y q, so
the slope of its tangent T2 at P is h1 pbq “ fy pa, bq.
Thus the partial derivatives fx pa, bq and fy pa, bq can be in-
terpreted geometrically as the slopes of the tangent lines at
Ppa, b, cq to the traces C1 and C2 of S in the planes y “ b
and x “ a.
As we have seen in the case of the heat index function, par-
tial derivatives can also be interpreted as rates of change. If
Bz
z “ f px , y q, then represents the rate of change of z with
Bx
Bz
respect to x when y is fixed. Similarly, represents the
By
rate of change of z with respect to y when x is fixed.
HIGHER DERIVATIVES
Definition 5: 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 pfx qx , pfx qy , pfy qx ,
and pfy qy , which are called the second partial derivatives of
f . If z “ f px , y q, we have:

B2f B2z
ˆ ˙
B Bf
pfx qx “ fxx “ “ 2 “
Bx Bx Bx Bx 2

B2f B2z
ˆ ˙
B Bf
pfx qy “ fxy “ “ “
By Bx By Bx By Bx
B2f B2z
ˆ ˙
B Bf
pfy qx “ fyx “ “ “
Bx By Bx By Bx By
B2f B2z
ˆ ˙
B Bf
pfy qy “ fyy “ “ 2 “
By By By By 2
Example 7: Find the second derivatives of f px , y q “ x 3 `
x 2 y 3 ´ 2y 2 .

Solution : We have

fx px , y q “ 3x 2 ` 2xy 3 , fy px , y q “ 3x 2 y 2 ´ 4y

Therefore,

fxx “ 6x ` 2y 3 , fxy “ 6xy 2

fyy “ 6x 2 y ´ 4, fyx “ 6xy 2

Theorem 1 (Clairaut’s Theorem): Suppose f is defined on
a disk D that contains the point pa, bq. If the functions fxy
and fyx are both continuous on D, then

fxy pa, bq “ fyx pa, bq

TANGENT PLANE
 Suppose a surface S has
equation z “ f px , y q,
where f has continuous first
partial derivatives, and let
Ppx0 , y0 , z0 q be a point on
S. As in the preceding sec-
tion, let C1 and C2 be the
curves obtained by inter-
secting the vertical planes
y “ y0 and x “ x0 with
the surface S.

Then the point P lies on both C1 and C2 . Let T1 and T2

be the tangent lines to the curves C1 and C2 at the point P.
Then the tangent plane to the surface S at the point P is
defined to be the plane that contains both tangent lines T1
and T2 . (See Figure.)
Definition 6 (An Equation of a Tangent Plane): Sup-
pose f has continuous partial derivatives. An equation of
the tangent plane to the surface z “ f px , y q at the point
Ppx0 , y0 , z0 q is
z ´ z0 “ fx px0 , y0 qpx ´ x0 q ` fy px0 , y0 qpy ´ y0 q

Example 8: Find the tangent plane to the elliptic paraboloid

z “ 2x 2 ` y 2 at the point p1, 1, 3q.

Solution : We have zx “ 4x and zy “ 2y . Then zx p1, 1q “ 4,

zy p1, 1q “ 2. The tangent plane to the surface at the point
p1, 1, 3q is

z ´ 3 “ 4px ´ 1q ` 2py ´ 1q ô z “ 4x ` 2y ´ 3
LINEAR APPROXIMATIONS
In the above Example we found that an equation of the tan-
gent plane to the graph of the function f px , y q “ 2x 2 ` y 2
at the point p1, 1, 3q is z “ 4x ` 2y ´ 3. Therefore, the linear
function of two variables
Lpx , y q “ 4x ` 2y ´ 3
is a good approximation to f px , y q when px , y q is near p1, 1q.
The function L is called the linearization of f at p1, 1q and
the approximation
f px , y q « 4x ` 2y ´ 3
is called the linear approximation or tangent plane approxi-
mation of f at p1, 1q. For instance, at the point p1.1, 0.95q
the linear approximation gives
f p1.1, 0.95q « 4 ¨ 1.1 ` 2 ¨ 0.95 ´ 3 “ 3.3
which is quite close to the true value of
f p1.1, 0, 95q “ 2 ¨ 1.12 ` 0.952 “ 3.3225

Definition 7: The linear function whose graph is this tangent

plane, namely

Lpx , y q “ f pa, bq ` fx pa, bqpx ´ aq ` fy pa, bqpy ´ bq

is called the linearization of f at pa, bq and the approximation

f px , y q « f pa, bq ` fx pa, bqpx ´ aq ` fy pa, bqpy ´ bq

is called the linear approximation or the tangent plane ap-

proximation of f at pa, bq.
That’s all. Thanks a lot

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