MATH1020U: Chapter 3 1

DIFFERENTIATION OF FUNCTIONS OF
SEVERAL VARIABLES

Functions of Several Variables (Section 4.1; Book 3)

Recall: So far, we have only worked with functions of a single variable. Often,
however, quantities depend on more than one variable.

Application: Braking distance for a car

Application: Diving Tables. gives the pressure (atm) as a function

of time (min) and depth (ft). To avoid decompression sickness, need

As in Calc I/Intro Calc, we can easily evaluate functions of 2 or more variables.

Application: The body-mass index is a number given by where w is a

person’s weight in pounds and h is their height in inches. What is the body-mass index of
a person who weighs 160 pounds and is 68 inches tall?
[Source: Modified from Calculus for the Life Sciences by Greenwell, Ritchey and Lial, 2003]

Definition: A function f of two variables is a rule that assigns to each ordered pair of
real numbers (x, y) in a set D a unique real number denoted by . The set D is the
domain of f and its range is the set of values that f takes on, that is

Example: Find the domain of

Example: Find the domain of and illustrate it

graphically.
MATH1020U: Chapter 3 2

Definition: If f is a function of two variables with domain D, then the graph of f is the
set of all points (x, y, z) in such that and (x, y) is in D.

Example: Sketch the graph of

Example: Sketch the graph of

Another way to visualize functions of two variables is to draw the contour/level curves.

Definition: The level curves of a function f of two variables are the curves with
equations where k is a constant (in the range of f ). A graph showing level
curves is called a contour map.

Note: Level curves that are close together correspond to a function being steeper.
Example: Match the following graphs with their contour maps.
MATH1020U: Chapter 3 3

A B C

D E F

1 2 3

4 5 6

Application (source: www.weathernetwork.ca):

MATH1020U: Chapter 3 4

Question: Can we extend the concepts we’ve developed so far to apply to functions of
more than 2 variables?

Definition: A function of n variables is a rule that assigns a unique real number

to each ordered n-tuple .

Exercise: Find the domain of

[Answer: ]

Partial Derivatives (Section 4.3; Book 3)

Recall: When we dealt with functions of a single variable, we could find the derivative
using …now that we have a function of 2 variables, the issue
is, what variable are we differentiating with respect to?

Definition: If f is a function of two variables, its partial derivatives are the functions
and defined by:

Notation: If , then:
MATH1020U: Chapter 3 5

Rule for Finding Partial Derivatives [of ]:

1. To find , regard y as a constant and differentiate with respect to x.
2. To find , regard x as a constant and differentiate with respect to y.

Example:

Application: In 1941, two explorers developed the Wind Chill Index. Wind chill is
given by where V is the wind
speed in miles per hour and T is the temperature in Fahrenheit for wind speeds between 4
and 45 mph. Find and interpret its meaning.
[Source: Modified from Calculus for the Life Sciences by Greenwell, Ritchey and Lial, 2003]

Question: What does a partial derivative actually represent?

Here, we hold x constant at . Here, we hold y constant at .

Question: Can we still find second-order (and higher) derivatives?

MATH1020U: Chapter 3 6

Definition: If f is a function of 2 variables, x and y, then its second partial derivatives

are:

Example: If , find

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

Question: Can we extend the concept of partial derivatives to apply to functions of 3 or

more variables?
Example: If , find