790 ■ CHAPTER 11 PARTIAL DERIVATIVES

11.5 The Chain Rule ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

We recall that the Chain Rule for functions of a single variable gives the rule for dif-
ferentiating a composite function: If y 苷 f 共x兲 and x 苷 t共t兲, where f and t are differ-
entiable functions, then y is indirectly a differentiable function of t and
dy dy dx
1 苷
dt dx dt
For functions of more than one variable, the Chain Rule has several versions, each
of them giving a rule for differentiating a composite function. The first version
(Theorem 2) deals with the case where z 苷 f 共x, y兲 and each of the variables x and y
is, in turn, a function of a variable t . This means that z is indirectly a function of t,
z 苷 f 共t共t兲, h共t兲兲, and the Chain Rule gives a formula for differentiating z as a function
of t. We assume that f is differentiable (Definition 11.4.7). Recall that this is the case
when fx and fy are continuous (Theorem 11.4.8).

2 The Chain Rule (Case 1) Suppose that z 苷 f 共x, y兲 is a differentiable function

of x and y, where x 苷 t共t兲 and y 苷 h共t兲 are both differentiable functions of t.
Then z is a differentiable function of t and

dz f dx f dy
苷 
dt x dt y dt

Proof A change of t in t produces changes of x in x and y in y. These, in turn,

produce a change of z in z, and from Definition 11.4.7 we have
f f
z 苷 x  y  1 x  2 y
x y
where 1 l 0 and 2 l 0 as 共x, y兲 l 共0, 0兲. [If the functions 1 and 2 are not
defined at 共0, 0兲, we can define them to be 0 there.] Dividing both sides of this equa-
tion by t, we have
z f x f y x y
苷   1  2
t x t y t t t
If we now let t l 0, then x 苷 t共t  t兲
t共t兲 l 0 because t is differentiable
and therefore continuous. Similarly, y l 0. This, in turn, means that 1 l 0 and
2 l 0, so
dz z
苷 lim
dt t l 0 t
f x f y x y
苷 lim  lim  lim 1 lim  lim 2 lim
x t l 0 t y t l 0 t t l 0 t l 0 t t l 0 t l 0 t
f dx f dy dx dy
苷  0ⴢ 0ⴢ
x dt y dt dt dt
f dx f dy
苷 
x dt y dt
 SECTION 11.5 THE CHAIN RULE ◆ 791

Since we often write z兾x in place of f兾x, we can rewrite the Chain Rule in the
form
▲ Notice the similarity to the definition
of the differential: dz z dx z dy
苷 
dz 苷
z
dx 
z
dy dt x dt y dt
x y

EXAMPLE 1 If z 苷 x 2 y  3xy 4, where x 苷 sin 2t and y 苷 cos t, find dz兾dt when

t 苷 0.
SOLUTION The Chain Rule gives

dz z dx z dy
苷 
dt x dt y dt
苷 共2xy  3y 4 兲共2 cos 2t兲  共x 2  12xy 3 兲共
sin t兲

It’s not necessary to substitute the expressions for x and y in terms of t. We simply
observe that when t 苷 0 we have x 苷 sin 0 苷 0 and y 苷 cos 0 苷 1. Therefore,
y

冟
(0, 1)
dz
苷 共0  3兲共2 cos 0兲  共0  0兲共
sin 0兲 苷 6
dt t苷0

The derivative in Example 1 can be interpreted as the rate of change of z with

x
respect to t as the point 共x, y兲 moves along the curve C with parametric equations
x 苷 sin 2t, y 苷 cos t. (See Figure 1.) In particular, when t 苷 0, the point 共x, y兲 is
共0, 1兲 and dz兾dt 苷 6 is the rate of increase as we move along the curve C through
共0, 1兲. If, for instance, z 苷 T共x, y兲 苷 x 2 y  3xy 4 represents the temperature at the
point 共x, y兲, then the composite function z 苷 T共sin 2t, cos t兲 represents the tempera-
FIGURE 1 ture at points on C and the derivative dz兾dt represents the rate at which the temper-
The curve x=sin 2t, y=cos t ature changes along C.

EXAMPLE 2 The pressure P (in kilopascals), volume V (in liters), and temperature
T (in kelvins) of a mole of an ideal gas are related by the equation PV 苷 8.31T .
Find the rate at which the pressure is changing when the temperature is 300 K and
increasing at a rate of 0.1 K兾s and the volume is 100 L and increasing at a rate of
0.2 L兾s.
SOLUTION If t represents the time elapsed in seconds, then at the given instant we have
T 苷 300, dT兾dt 苷 0.1, V 苷 100, dV兾dt 苷 0.2. Since

T
P 苷 8.31
V
the Chain Rule gives

dP P dT P dV 8.31 dT 8.31T dV
苷  苷

dt T dt V dt V dt V 2 dt
8.31 8.31共300兲
苷 共0.1兲
共0.2兲 苷
0.04155
100 100 2

The pressure is decreasing at a rate of about 0.042 kPa兾s.

792 ■ CHAPTER 11 PARTIAL DERIVATIVES

We now consider the situation where z 苷 f 共x, y兲 but each of x and y is a function
of two variables s and t : x 苷 t共s, t兲, y 苷 h共s, t兲. Then z is indirectly a function of s
and t and we wish to find z兾s and z兾t. Recall that in computing z兾t we hold s
fixed and compute the ordinary derivative of z with respect to t. Therefore, we can
apply Theorem 2 to obtain
z z x z y
苷 
t x t y t

A similar argument holds for z兾s and so we have proved the following version of
the Chain Rule.

3 The Chain Rule (Case 2) Suppose that z 苷 f 共x, y兲 is a differentiable function

of x and y, where x 苷 t共s, t兲 and y 苷 h共s, t兲 are differentiable functions of s
and t. Then
z z x z y
苷 
s x s y s
z z x z y
苷 
t x t y t

EXAMPLE 3 If z 苷 e x sin y, where x 苷 st 2 and y 苷 s 2t, find z兾s and z兾t.

SOLUTION Applying Case 2 of the Chain Rule, we get

z z x z y
苷  苷 共e x sin y兲共t 2 兲  共e x cos y兲共2st兲
s x s y s
2 2
苷 t 2e st sin共s 2t兲  2ste st cos共s 2t兲

z z x z y
苷  苷 共e x sin y兲共2st兲  共e x cos y兲共s 2 兲
t x t y t
2 2
苷 2ste st sin共s 2t兲  s 2e st cos共s 2t兲

Case 2 of the Chain Rule contains three types of variables: s and t are independ-
ent variables, x and y are called intermediate variables, and z is the dependent vari-
able. Notice that Theorem 3 has one term for each intermediate variable and each of
these terms resembles the one-dimensional Chain Rule in Equation 1.
To remember the Chain Rule it is helpful to draw the tree diagram in Figure 2. We
z draw branches from the dependent variable z to the intermediate variables x and y to
⳵z ⳵z
⳵x ⳵y
indicate that z is a function of x and y. Then we draw branches from x and y to the
independent variables s and t. On each branch we write the corresponding partial
x y
⳵x ⳵x ⳵y ⳵y derivative. To find z兾s we find the product of the partial derivatives along each path
⳵s ⳵t ⳵s ⳵t from z to s and then add these products:
s t s t
z z x z y
苷 
FIGURE 2 s x s y s

Similarly, we find z兾t by using the paths from z to t .

Now we consider the general situation in which a dependent variable u is a func-
tion of n intermediate variables x 1 , . . . , x n , each of which is, in turn, a function of m
 SECTION 11.5 THE CHAIN RULE ◆ 793

independent variables t1 , . . . , tm . Notice that there are n terms, one for each interme-
diate variable. The proof is similar to that of Case 1.

4 The Chain Rule (General Version) Suppose that u is a differentiable function of

the n variables x 1 , x 2 , . . . , x n and each x j is a differentiable function of the m
variables t1 , t2 , . . . , tm . Then u is a function of t1 , t2 , . . . , tm and

u u x 1 u x 2 u x n
苷    
ti x 1 ti x 2 ti x n ti

for each i 苷 1, 2, . . . , m.

EXAMPLE 4 Write out the Chain Rule for the case where w 苷 f 共x, y, z, t兲 and
x 苷 x共u, v兲, y 苷 y共u, v兲, z 苷 z共u, v兲, and t 苷 t共u, v兲.
w SOLUTION We apply Theorem 4 with n 苷 4 and m 苷 2. Figure 3 shows the tree dia-
gram. Although we haven’t written the derivatives on the branches, it’s understood
x y z t that if a branch leads from y to u, then the partial derivative for that branch is y兾u.
With the aid of the tree diagram we can now write the required expressions:
u v u v u v u v
w w x w y w z w t
苷   
FIGURE 3 u x u y u z u t u
w w x w y w z w t
苷   
v x v y v z v t v

EXAMPLE 5 If u 苷 x 4y  y 2z 3, where x 苷 rse t, y 苷 rs 2e
t, and z 苷 r 2s sin t, find the

value of u兾s when r 苷 2, s 苷 1, t 苷 0.
u SOLUTION With the help of the tree diagram in Figure 4, we have

u u x u y u z
x y z 苷  
s x s y s z s
r s t r s t r s t 苷 共4x 3 y兲共re t 兲  共x 4  2yz 3 兲共2rse
t 兲  共3y 2z 2 兲共r 2 sin t兲
FIGURE 4 When r 苷 2, s 苷 1, and t 苷 0, we have x 苷 2, y 苷 2, and z 苷 0, so
u
苷 共64兲共2兲  共16兲共4兲  共0兲共0兲 苷 192
s

EXAMPLE 6 If t共s, t兲 苷 f 共s 2
t 2, t 2
s 2 兲 and f is differentiable, show that t satis-

fies the equation
t t
t s 苷0
s t

SOLUTION Let x 苷 s 2
t 2 and y 苷 t 2
s 2. Then t共s, t兲 苷 f 共x, y兲 and the Chain Rule
gives
t f x f y f f
苷  苷 共2s兲  共
2s兲
s x s y s x y
t f x f y f f
苷  苷 共
2t兲  共2t兲
t x t y t x y
794 ■ CHAPTER 11 PARTIAL DERIVATIVES

Therefore

t
t
s
s
t
t
苷 2st 冉
f
x

2st
f
y
冊 冉
2st
f
x
 2st
f
y
冊 苷0

EXAMPLE 7 If z 苷 f 共x, y兲 has continuous second-order partial derivatives and

x 苷 r 2  s 2 and y 苷 2rs, find (a) z兾r and (b) 2z兾r 2.
SOLUTION
(a) The Chain Rule gives
z z x z y z z
苷  苷 共2r兲  共2s兲
r x r y r x y
(b) Applying the Product Rule to the expression in part (a), we get
2z
r 2
苷

r
2r冉z
x
 2s
z
y
冊
冉 冊 冉 冊
5
z  z  z
苷2  2r  2s
x r x r y
⳵z But, using the Chain Rule again (see Figure 5), we have

冉 冊 冉 冊 冉 冊
⳵x
 z  z x  z y
苷 
x y r x x x r y x r
2z 2z
苷 2 共2r兲  共2s兲
r s r s x y x

FIGURE 5 
r
冉 冊 冉 冊
z
y
苷

x
z
y
x
r


y
冉 冊z
y
y
r
2z 2z
苷 共2r兲  2 共2s兲
x y y

Putting these expressions into Equation 5 and using the equality of the mixed second-
order derivatives, we obtain
2z
r 2
苷 2
z
x
 2r 2r 冉
2z
x 2
 2s
2z
y x
冊 冉  2s 2r
2z
x y
2z
 2s 2
y
冊
z 2z 2z 2z
苷2  4r 2 2  8rs  4s 2 2
x x x y y

Implicit Differentiation

The Chain Rule can be used to give a more complete description of the process of
implicit differentiation that was introduced in Sections 3.6 and 11.3. We suppose that
an equation of the form F共x, y兲 苷 0 defines y implicitly as a differentiable function of
x, that is, y 苷 f 共x兲, where F共x, f 共x兲兲 苷 0 for all x in the domain of f . If F is differen-
tiable, we can apply Case 1 of the Chain Rule to differentiate both sides of the equa-
tion F共x, y兲 苷 0 with respect to x. Since both x and y are functions of x, we obtain
F dx F dy
 苷0
x dx y dx
 SECTION 11.5 THE CHAIN RULE ◆ 795

But dx兾dx 苷 1, so if F兾y 苷 0 we solve for dy兾dx and obtain

F
dy x Fx
6 苷
苷

dx F Fy
y

To derive this equation we assumed that F共x, y兲 苷 0 defines y implicitly as a func-

tion of x. The Implicit Function Theorem, proved in advanced calculus, gives con-
ditions under which this assumption is valid. It states that if F is defined on a disk con-
taining 共a, b兲, where F共a, b兲 苷 0, Fy 共a, b兲 苷 0, and Fx and Fy are continuous on the
disk, then the equation F共x, y兲 苷 0 defines y as a function of x near the point 共a, b兲
and the derivative of this function is given by Equation 6.

EXAMPLE 8 Find y if x 3  y 3 苷 6xy.

SOLUTION The given equation can be written as

F共x, y兲 苷 x 3  y 3
6xy 苷 0

so Equation 6 gives
▲ The solution to Example 8 should be
dy Fx 3x 2
6y x 2
2y
compared to the one in Example 2 in 苷
苷
2 苷
2
Section 3.6. dx Fy 3y
6x y
2x

Now we suppose that z is given implicitly as a function z 苷 f 共x, y兲 by an equation

of the form F共x, y, z兲 苷 0. This means that F共x, y, f 共x, y兲兲 苷 0 for all 共x, y兲 in the
domain of f . If F and f are differentiable, then we can use the Chain Rule to differ-
entiate the equation F共x, y, z兲 苷 0 as follows:

F x F y F z
  苷0
x x y x z x

 
But 共x兲 苷 1 and 共y兲 苷 0
x x

so this equation becomes

F F z
 苷0
x z x

If F兾z 苷 0, we solve for z兾x and obtain the first formula in Equations 7. The for-
mula for z兾y is obtained in a similar manner.

F F
z x z y
7 苷
苷

x F y F
z z
796 ■ CHAPTER 11 PARTIAL DERIVATIVES

Again, a version of the Implicit Function Theorem gives conditions under which
our assumption is valid. If F is defined within a sphere containing 共a, b, c兲, where
F共a, b, c兲 苷 0, Fz共a, b, c兲 苷 0, and Fx , Fy , and Fz are continuous inside the sphere,
then the equation F共x, y, z兲 苷 0 defines z as a function of x and y near the point
共a, b, c兲 and the partial derivatives of this function are given by (7).

z z
EXAMPLE 9 Find and if x 3  y 3  z 3  6xyz 苷 1.
x y
SOLUTION Let F共x, y, z兲 苷 x 3  y 3  z 3  6xyz
1. Then, from Equations 7, we
have

z Fx 3x 2  6yz x 2  2yz
苷
苷
2 苷
2
▲ The solution to Example 9 should be x Fz 3z  6xy z  2xy
compared to the one in Example 4 in
Section 11.3.
z Fy 3y 2  6xz y 2  2xz
苷
苷
2 苷
2
y Fz 3z  6xy z  2xy

11.5 Exercises ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

1–4 ■ Use the Chain Rule to find dz兾dt or dw兾dt. 14. u 苷 f 共s, t兲, where s 苷 s共w, x, y, z兲, t 苷 t共w, x, y, z兲
1. z 苷 sin x cos y, x 苷  t, y 苷 st
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

2. z 苷 x ln共x  2y兲, x 苷 sin t, y 苷 cos t 15–19 ■ Use the Chain Rule to find the indicated partial
derivatives.
3. w 苷 xe y兾z, x 苷 t 2, y 苷 1
t, z 苷 1  2t
15. w 苷 x 2  y 2  z 2, x 苷 st, y 苷 s cos t, z 苷 s sin t;
4. w 苷 xy  yz , 2
x苷e, t
y 苷 e sin t, t
z 苷 e t cos t w w
, when s 苷 1, t 苷 0
s t
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

5–8 ■ Use the Chain Rule to find z兾s and z兾t.

16. u 苷 xy  yz  zx, x 苷 st, y 苷 e st, z 苷 t 2;
5. z 苷 x 2  xy  y 2, x 苷 s  t, y 苷 st u u
, when s 苷 0, t 苷 1
6. z 苷 x兾y, x 苷 se t, y 苷 1  se
t s t
7. z 苷 e r cos
, r 苷 st,
苷 ss 2  t 2 17. z 苷 y 2 tan x, x 苷 t 2uv, y 苷 u  tv 2;
8. z 苷 sin  tan ,  苷 3s  t,  苷 s
t z z z
, , when t 苷 2, u 苷 1, v 苷 0
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
t u v

9. If z 苷 f 共x, y兲, where x 苷 t共t兲, y 苷 h共t兲, t共3兲 苷 2, t共3兲 苷 5, 18. z 苷

x
, x 苷 re st, y 苷 rse t;
h共3兲 苷 7, h共3兲 苷
4, fx 共2, 7兲 苷 6, and fy 共2, 7兲 苷
8, find y
dz兾dt when t 苷 3. z z z
, , when r 苷 1, s 苷 2, t 苷 0
10. Let W共s, t兲 苷 F共u共s, t兲, v共s, t兲兲, where u共1, 0兲 苷 2, r s t
us共1, 0兲 苷
2, ut共1, 0兲 苷 6, v共1, 0兲 苷 3, vs共1, 0兲 苷 5, xy
vt共1, 0兲 苷 4, Fu共2, 3兲 苷
1, and Fv共2, 3兲 苷 10. Find 19. u 苷 , x 苷 p  r  t, y 苷 p
r  t,
yz
Ws 共1, 0兲 and Wt 共1, 0兲. z 苷 p  r
t;
u u u
11–14 ■ Use a tree diagram to write out the Chain Rule for the , ,
given case. Assume all functions are differentiable. p r t
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

11. u 苷 f 共x, y兲, where x 苷 x共r, s, t兲, y 苷 y共r, s, t兲

20–22 ■ Use Equation 6 to find dy兾dx.
12. w 苷 f 共x, y, z兲, where x 苷 x共t, u兲, y 苷 y共t, u兲, z 苷 z共t, u兲 2
20. y  x 2 y 3 苷 1  ye x
5
13. v 苷 f 共 p, q, r兲,
where p 苷 p共x, y, z兲, q 苷 q共x, y, z兲, r 苷 r共x, y, z兲 21. cos共x
y兲 苷 xe y
 SECTION 11.5 THE CHAIN RULE ◆ 797

22. sin x  cos y 苷 sin x cos y while h is decreasing at a rate of 3 m兾s. At that instant find
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ the rates at which the following quantities are changing.
(a) The volume (b) The surface area
23–26 ■ Use Equations 7 to find z兾x and z兾y.
23. xy 2  yz 2  zx 2 苷 3 24. xyz 苷 cos共x  y  z兲
25. xe y  yz  ze x 苷 0 26. ln共x  yz兲 苷 1  xy 2z 3
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
27. The temperature at a point 共x, y兲 is T共x, y兲, measured in
degrees Celsius. A bug crawls so that its position after
t seconds is given by x 苷 s1  t, y 苷 2  13 t, where x
and y are measured in centimeters. The temperature func-
tion satisfies Tx共2, 3兲 苷 4 and Ty共2, 3兲 苷 3. How fast is the
temperature rising on the bug’s path after 3 seconds?
28. Wheat production in a given year, W , depends on the
average temperature T and the annual rainfall R. Scientists
estimate that the average temperature is rising at a rate
of 0.15 °C兾year and rainfall is decreasing at a rate of
0.1 cm兾year. They also estimate that, at current production
(c) The length of a diagonal
32. The voltage V in a simple electrical circuit is slowly
decreasing as the battery wears out. The resistance R is
■ slowly increasing as the resistor heats up. Use Ohm’s Law,
V 苷 IR, to find how the current I is changing at the moment
when R 苷 400 , I 苷 0.08 A, dV兾dt 苷
0.01 V兾s, and
dR兾dt 苷 0.03 兾s.
33. The pressure of 1 mole of an ideal gas is increasing at a rate
of 0.05 kPa兾s and the temperature is increasing at a rate of
0.15 K兾s. Use the equation in Example 2 to find the rate of
change of the volume when the pressure is 20 kPa and the
temperature is 320 K.
34. Car A is traveling north on Highway 16 and Car B is travel-
ing west on Highway 83. Each car is approaching the inter-
section of these highways. At a certain moment, car A is
levels, W兾T 苷
2 and W兾R 苷 8. 0.3 km from the intersection and traveling at 90 km兾h
(a) What is the significance of the signs of these partial while car B is 0.4 km from the intersection and traveling
derivatives? at 80 km兾h. How fast is the distance between the cars
(b) Estimate the current rate of change of wheat production, changing at that moment?
dW兾dt.
35–38 ■ Assume that all the given functions are differentiable.
29. The speed of sound traveling through ocean water with
35. If z 苷 f 共x, y兲, where x 苷 r cos
and y 苷 r sin
, (a) find
salinity 35 parts per thousand has been modeled by the
z兾r and z兾
and (b) show that
equation

C 苷 1449.2  4.6T
0.055T 2  0.00029T 3  0.016D

where C is the speed of sound (in meters per second), T is
冉 冊 冉 冊 冉冊 冉 冊
z
x
2

z
y
2
苷
z
r
2

1
r2
z


the temperature (in degrees Celsius), and D is the depth 36. If u 苷 f 共x, y兲, where x 苷 e s cos t and y 苷 e s sin t, show
below the ocean surface (in meters). A scuba diver began a that
leisurely dive into the ocean water; the diver’s depth and
surrounding water temperature over time are recorded in the
following graphs. Estimate the rate of change (with respect
冉 冊 冉 冊
u
x
2

u
y
2
苷 e
2s 冋冉 冊 冉 冊 册
u
s
2

u
t
2

to time) of the speed of sound through the ocean water z z

experienced by the diver 20 minutes into the dive. What are 37. If z 苷 f 共x
y兲, show that  苷 0.
x y
the units?
D
T 38. If z 苷 f 共x, y兲, where x 苷 s  t and y 苷 s
t, show that

冉 冊 冉 冊
16
20 14 z 2
z 2
z z

苷
15 12 x y s t
10 10 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

5 8
39–44 ■ Assume that all the given functions have continuous
10 20 30 40 t 10 20 30 40 t second-order partial derivatives.
(min) (min)
39. Show that any function of the form
30. The radius of a right circular cone is increasing at a rate of
1.8 in兾s while its height is decreasing at a rate of 2.5 in兾s. z 苷 f 共x  at兲  t共x
at兲
At what rate is the volume of the cone changing when the is a solution of the wave equation
radius is 120 in. and the height is 140 in.?
2z 2 
2
z
31. The length 艎, width w, and height h of a box change with 2 苷 a
t x 2
time. At a certain instant the dimensions are 艎 苷 1 m and
w 苷 h 苷 2 m, and 艎 and w are increasing at a rate of 2 m兾s [Hint: Let u 苷 x  at, v 苷 x
at.]
798 ■ CHAPTER 11 PARTIAL DERIVATIVES

40. If u 苷 f 共x, y兲, where x 苷 e s cos t and y 苷 e s sin t, show 44. Suppose z 苷 f 共x, y兲, where x 苷 t共s, t兲 and y 苷 h共s, t兲.
that (a) Show that
u
2

x 2

u
y 2
2
苷 e
2s 冋
u
s 2
2
u
 2
t
2

册 2z
t 2
苷
2z
x 2
x 2
t
冉 冊2
2z x y
x y t t

2z
y 2
冉 冊 y
t
2

z  x2
z  y
2
 
41. If z 苷 f 共x, y兲, where x 苷 r 2  s 2, y 苷 2rs, find 2z兾r s. x t 2
y t 2
(Compare with Example 7.) (b) Find a similar formula for 2z兾s t.
42. If z 苷 f 共x, y兲, where x 苷 r cos
, y 苷 r sin
, find (a) z兾r,
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

(b) z兾
, and (c)  z兾r 
.
2 45. Suppose that the equation F共x, y, z兲 苷 0 implicitly defines
each of the three variables x, y, and z as functions of the
43. If z 苷 f 共x, y兲, where x 苷 r cos
, y 苷 r sin
, show that other two: z 苷 f 共x, y兲, y 苷 t共x, z兲, x 苷 h共 y, z兲. If F is dif-
ferentiable and Fx , Fy , and Fz are all nonzero, show that
2z 2z 2z 1 2z 1 z z x y
 苷 2  2  苷
1
x 2
y 2
r r 
2 r r x y z

11.6 Directional Derivatives and the Gradient Vector ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

The weather map in Figure 1 shows a contour map of the temperature function T共x, y兲
for the states of California and Nevada at 3:00 P.M. on October 10, 1997. The level
curves, or isothermals, join locations with the same temperature. The partial deriva-
tive Tx at a location such as Reno is the rate of change of temperature with respect to
distance if we travel east from Reno; Ty is the rate of change of temperature if we
travel north. But what if we want to know the rate of change of temperature when we
travel southeast (toward Las Vegas), or in some other direction? In this section we
introduce a type of derivative, called a directional derivative, that enables us to find
the rate of change of a function of two or more variables in any direction.

60 50
Reno

San Francisco
60
70
Las Vegas
70
80

0 50 100 150 200

FIGURE 1 (Distance in miles) Los Angeles

Directional Derivatives

Recall that if z 苷 f 共x, y兲, then the partial derivatives fx and fy are defined as
f 共x0  h, y0 兲
f 共x0, y0 兲
fx 共x0, y0 兲 苷 lim
hl0 h
1
f 共x0, y0  h兲
f 共x0, y0 兲
fy 共x0, y0 兲 苷 lim
hl0 h