PARTIAL DERIVATIVES

Chap 1.2: Partial Derivatives

1. First Partial Derivatives and Application
2. Second / Higher Partial Derivatives and Application
3. Clairaut’s Theorem
4. Partial Derivatives for Multi Variable Function and Application
5. Chain Rule – 3 cases
6. Implicit differentiation

1
 First Partial Derivatives and Application:

Let z  f x, y  partial derivative of f with respect to x is denoted by

f z
fx    D x f  f1  D1 f
x x
Thus,
f  x, y  h   f  x, y 
f x  x, y   lim
h 0 h

f x x, y  and f y  x, y  are called the first order partial derivatives of f x, y .

2
Example: Find the first partial derivatives of the functions.
f x, y   x 5  3x 3 y 2  3xy 4

Solution

f  5
 fx  
x x

x  3x 3 y 2  3xy 4 
 5x 4  9 x 2 y 2  3 y 4
and
f  5
fy  
y y

x  3x 3 y 2  3xy 4 
 0  6 x 3 y  12 xy 3
 6 x 3 y  12 xy 3

First Partial Derivatives and Application 3

Example: Find the first partial derivatives of the functions.
x y
f  x, y  
x y
Solution
f   x  y  f  x y
 fx     fy    
x x  x  y  y y  x  y 

x  y   x  y   x  y   x  y  x  y   
x  y   x  y   x  y 
 x x
y y
x  y 2 
x  y 2
 u v 

 x  y  1   x  y  1   u v u 
    x x  x  y    1  x  y   1

x  y 2  x  v  
x  y 2
2
v
 
 

x yx y 2y x yx y  2x

   
x  y 2 x  y 2 x  y 2 x  y 2

First Partial Derivatives and Application 4

Example: Find the first partial derivatives of the functions.
w  ln( x  2 y  3 z )

Solution

w  
 ln x  2 y  3z    x  2 y  3z 
1

x x x  2 y  3z x
1

x  2 y  3z
w 
 ln x  2 y  3z  
1 2
 2 
y y x  2 y  3z x  2 y  3z
w 
 ln x  2 y  3 z  
1 3
 3 
z z x  2 y  3z x  2 y  3z

First Partial Derivatives and Application 5

 Example: Find the indicated partial derivatives.

f  x, y   x 2  y 2 ; f x 3,4 

Solution
fx 
f

x x

 x2  y2 
 2

1
 
x  y2 
2 x 2  y 2 x
1 x
  2x 
2 x2  y2 x2  y2

 f x 3,4 
3 3 3
  .
32  4 2 25 5

First Partial Derivatives and Application 6

 Example: Find the indicated partial derivatives.
f  x, y   sin 2 x  3 y ; f y  6,4 

Solution f 
fx   sin 2 x  3 y 
y y

 cos2 x  3 y   2 x  3 y 
y
 cos2 x  3 y   3
 3 cos2 x  3 y 

 f y (6,4)  3 cos2 6  34  3 cos 12  12

 3 cos 0  31  3

First Partial Derivatives and Application 7

 Interpretations of Partial Derivatives

Geometrically, z  f x, y  represents a surface (S) in space.

The partial derivatives of f at (a,b), that is, f x a, b and f y a,are
b  the slopes of the tangent lines

T1 and T 2 at the point Pa, b, c in space to the curves 𝐶1 and 𝐶2 respectively.

where
C  f a,b ,
𝐶1 is the intersection of the surface (S) and the vertical plane y  b, z
T1

𝐶2 is the intersection of the surface (S) and the vertical plane x  a, T2

c1
c2
S
P(a,b,c)

0 y

(a,b,0)
First Partial Derivatives and Application x 8
 Also, partial derivatives can be interpreted as rates of change. If z  f  x, y ,

z
then represents the rate of change of z with respect to x when y is fixed.
x
z
Similarly, represents the rate of change of z with respect to y when x is fixed.
y

z
T1

T2
c1
c2
S
P(a,b,c)

0 y

(a,b,0)
x

First Partial Derivatives and Application 9

Example 14: The temperature at a point (x,y) on a flat metal plate is given by

T  x, y  
60

1 x  y
2 2
,

where T is measured in C and x,y in meters.

Find the rate of change of temperature with respect to the distance at the point (2,1) in
(a) the x-direction

(b) the y-direction.

(c) What is the physical significance?

First Partial Derivatives and Application 10

Sol (a) : The rate of change of temperature with respect to distance in the x-direction
is
T  60
Tx  x, y  
120 x
  2 x  
x 2
1  x
2 2
y2
 2 2
1  x y 
At the point (2,1)
T  240
Tx 2,1 
120(2) 20
   .
x 
1  2 2  12 
2
36 3

∴ The temperature is decreasing in the x-direction. (Tx (2,1) is negative.)

(b) The rate of change of temperature with respect to distance in the y-direction
T  60  120 y
is T y  x, y     2 y 
x 2
1  x
2 2
y 2
 2 2
1  x y 
At the point (2,1),
 1201  120  10
T y 2,1   

1 2 1
2 2
36 3
11
∴ The temperature is decreasing in the y-direction
Exercises / Assignment
Find the first partial derivatives of the functions.
 x 
(i) f  x, y   sin  
1 y 
(ii) u  te w / t
(iii) f ( x, y, z )  x 2 e yz
(iv) w  r 2  s2  t 2
(v) u  xe  t sin 
(vi) f  x, y, z , t   xyz 2 tan  yt 

(vii) f  x, t   arctan x t  
Find the indicated partial derivatives.
(i) f  x, y , z   ; f z 3,2,1
x
yz
(ii) f u , v, w  w tan uv ; f y 2,0,3

First Partial Derivatives and Application 12