PROGRAMME 11

PARTIAL
DIFFERENTIATION
2
STROU

Worked examples and exercises are in the text

Programme 11: Partial differentiation 2

Partial differentiation
Rate-of-change problems
Implicit functions
Change of variables

STROU

Worked examples and exercises are in the text

Programme 11: Partial differentiation 2

Partial differentiation
Rate-of-change problems
Implicit functions
Change of variables

STROU

Worked examples and exercises are in the text

Programme 11: Partial differentiation 2

Partial differentiation

Recall that if z(x, y) is a function of two real variables it possess two first
partial derivatives.
One with respect to x,

one with respect to y,

z
x

obtained by keeping y fixed and

z
y

obtained by keeping x fixed.

All the usual rules for differentiating sums, differences, products,

quotients and functions of a function apply.

STROU

Worked examples and exercises are in the text

Programme 11: Partial differentiation 2

Partial differentiation

Recall further that if both x and y vary simultaneously then, for small
changes x and y:

STROU

z
z
x y
x
y

Worked examples and exercises are in the text

Programme 11: Partial differentiation 2

Partial differentiation
Rate-of-change problems
Implicit functions
Change of variables

STROU

Worked examples and exercises are in the text

Programme 11: Partial differentiation 2

Rate-of-change problems

If the variations in x and y occur during the time interval t then:

z z x z y

t x t y t
So that, in the limit as t 0
dz z dx z dy

dt x dt y dt

STROU

Worked examples and exercises are in the text

Programme 11: Partial differentiation 2

Partial differentiation
Rate-of-change problems
Implicit functions
Change of variables

STROU

Worked examples and exercises are in the text

Programme 11: Partial differentiation 2

Implicit functions

Partial differentiation can be used to find the derivatives of implicit

functions. If f (x, y) = 0 is an expression involving x and y where y is
assumed to be an implicit function of x then letting z = f (x, y):
z
z
z z z y
z x y so

x
y
x x y x
In the limit as x 0:
dz z z dy

0 since z 0 (constant)
dx x y dx
Therefore:
dy
z / x

dx
z / y

STROU

Worked examples and exercises are in the text

Programme 11: Partial differentiation 2

Partial differentiation
Rate-of-change problems
Implicit functions
Change of variables

STROU

Worked examples and exercises are in the text

Programme 11: Partial differentiation 2

Change of variables

If z = z(x, y) where x = x(u, v) and y = y(u, v) then:

z
z
z z x z y
x y so

x
y
u x u y u
and as u 0 so:

z z x z y

u x u y u
Similarly:
z z x z y

v x v y v

STROU

Worked examples and exercises are in the text

Programme 11: Partial differentiation 2

Learning outcomes
Derive the first- and second order partial derivatives of a function of two real variables

Apply partial differentiation to rate-of-change problems

Apply partial differentiation to implicit functions

Apply partial differentiation to change-of-variable problems

STROU

Worked examples and exercises are in the text