Partial derivatives - c CNMiKnO PG - 1

Partial Derivatives - Examples

Let f be a function of two variables. If we fix one of the two variables, say y = y0 , the function
whose values are f (x, y0 ) is a function of x alone. If that function has a derivative at x0 , we
call the derivative a partial derivative at (x0 , y0 ).

Partial derivatives of f are frequently denoted

∂f ∂f
,
∂x ∂y
and
fx , fy .

Definition
Let f be a function of two variables and let (x0 , y0 ) be in domain of f .
The partial derivative of f with respect to x at (x0 , y0 ) is defined by

∂f f (x0 + ∆x, y0 ) − f (x0 , y0 )

(x0 , y0 ) = lim
∂x ∆x→0 ∆x
provided that this limit exists.
The partial derivative of f with respect to y at (x0 , y0 ) is defined by

∂f f (x0 , y0 + ∆y) − f (x0 , y0 )

(x0 , y0 ) = lim
∂y ∆y→0 ∆y
provided that this limit exists.

Example 1. Using the definition, calculate first order partial derivatives of f (x, y) = x sin(xy)
at (x0 , y0 ) = (π, 1).
Solution:
∂f def f (π + ∆x, 1) − f (π, 1)
(π, 1) = lim
∂x ∆x→0 ∆x
(π + ∆x) sin(π + ∆x) − π sin π
= lim
∆x→0 ∆x
− sin ∆x
= lim (π + ∆x) = π · (−1) = −π,
∆x→0 ∆x

∂f def f (π, 1 + ∆y) − f (π, 1)

(π, 1) = lim
∂y ∆y→0 ∆y
π sin(π(1 + ∆y)) − π sin π
= lim
∆y→0 ∆y
−π sin(π∆y) sin(π∆y)
= lim = −π 2 lim = −π 2 · 1 = −π 2 .
∆y→0 ∆y ∆y→0 π∆y
Partial derivatives - c CNMiKnO PG - 2

Example 2. Using derivation formulas, calculate first order partial derivatives of

f (x, y) = x2 + xy 2 + y 3 .
Solution:
∂f ∂ 2
= (x + xy 2 + y 3 ) = 2x + y 2 + 0 = 2x + y 2 ,
∂x ∂x
∂f ∂ 2
= (x + xy 2 + y 3 ) = 0 + x · 2y + 3y 2 = 2xy + 3y 2 .
∂y ∂y
Example 3. Using derivation formulas, calculate first order partial derivatives of
2
f (x, y) = ex sin y
.
Solution:
∂f ∂ x2 sin y 2
= (e ) = ex sin y · 2x sin y,
∂x ∂x
∂f ∂ x2 sin y 2
= (e ) = ex sin y · x2 cos y.
∂y ∂y
Example 4. Using derivation formulas, calculate first order partial derivatives of
f (x, y, z) = xy + y z .
Solution:
∂f ∂ y
= (x + y z ) = yxy−1 ,
∂x ∂x
∂f ∂ y
= (x + y z ) = xy ln x + zy z−1 ,
∂y ∂y
∂f ∂ y
= (x + y z ) = y z ln z.
∂z ∂z
Second partial derivatives are defined to be partial derivatives of first partial derivatives, and
higher derivatives are similarly defined. If both of the first order partial derivatives exist in a
neighborhood (x0 , y0 ) and they are functions of x and y, then we can differentiate each with
respect to x or y:
     
∂2f ∂ ∂f ∂2f ∂ ∂f
∂x2
= ∂x ∂x
, ∂x∂y
= ∂x ∂y
,
     
∂2f ∂ ∂f ∂2f ∂ ∂f
∂y∂x
= ∂y ∂x
, ∂y 2
= ∂y ∂y
.

Partial derivatives involving more than one variable are called mixed partial derivatives.

Notation
∂2f ∂2f
Pure second partial derivatives: fxx ≡ , fyy ≡ .
∂x2 ∂y 2
∂2f ∂2f
Mixed partial derivatives: fxy ≡ , fyx ≡ .
∂x∂y ∂y∂x
Partial derivatives - c CNMiKnO PG - 3

x2
Example 5. Calculate all second order partial derivatives of f (x, y) = xy + y3
.
Solution: Firstly, we need to calculate first order partial derivatives:
∂f ∂ x2 2x ∂f ∂ x2 3x2
= (xy + 3 ) = y + 3 , = (xy + 3 ) = x − 4 .
∂x ∂x y y ∂y ∂y y y
Now, we are ready to calculate second order partial derivatives:
∂2f ∂ ∂f ∂ 2x 2 2
= ( )= (y + 3 ) = 0 + 3 = 3 ,
∂x2 ∂x ∂x ∂x y y y
∂2f ∂ ∂f ∂ 3x 2
6x
= ( )= (x − 4 ) = 1 − 4 ,
∂x∂y ∂x ∂y ∂x y y
∂2f ∂ ∂f ∂ 2x 6x
= ( )= (y + 3 ) = 1 − 4 ,
∂y∂x ∂y ∂x ∂y y y
∂2f ∂ ∂f ∂ 3x 2
12x2 12x2
= ( )= (x − 4 ) = 0 + 5 = 5 .
∂y 2 ∂y ∂y ∂y y y y
∂5
Example 6. Calculate ∂x∂y 4
(xe−y ) .
Solution:
∂5 −y ∂4 ∂ −y ∂4
(−xe−y )


(xe ) = (xe ) =
∂x∂y 4 ∂x∂y 3 ∂y ∂x∂y 3
∂3 ∂ −y ∂3
(xe−y )


= (−xe ) =
∂x∂y 2 ∂y ∂x∂y 2
∂2 ∂ ∂2
(xe−y ) = (−xe−y )


=
∂x∂y ∂y ∂x∂y
∂ ∂ ∂
(−xe−y ) = (xe−y ) = e−y .


=
∂x ∂y ∂x
∂2u ∂2u
Example 7. Check if function u(x, y, z) = ln(x2 + y 2 + z 2 ) satisfies the equation ∂x∂z
= ∂z∂x
.
Solution:
∂2u ∂ ∂ ∂ 2z −4xz
(ln(x2 + y 2 + z 2 )) =


= ( 2 ) = ,
∂x∂z ∂x ∂z ∂x x + y 2 + z 2 (x2 + y 2 + z 2 )2
2
∂ u ∂ ∂ ∂ 2x −4zx
(ln(x2 + y 2 + z 2 )) =


= ( 2 2 2
)= 2 .
∂z∂x ∂z ∂x ∂z x + y + z (x + y 2 + z 2 )2
Yes, function u satisfies the given equation.

Applications - Tangent plane

The graph of a function f (x, y) is a surface in R3 (three dimensional space) and so we can now
start thinking of the plane that is ”tangent” to the surface at the point.
If f (x, y) and its partial derivatives are all continuous at (x0 , y0 ), then we define the tangent plane
of the surface at the point (x0 , y0 , f (x0 , y0 )):
∂f ∂f
z − f (x0 , y0 ) = (x0 , y0 )(x − x0 ) + (x0 , y0 )(y − y0 ) .
∂x ∂y
Partial derivatives - c CNMiKnO PG - 4

p
Example 8. Write down the equation of a plane tangent to the graph of f (x, y) = 9 − x2 − y 2
√ √
at P = ( 2, − 3, 2).
√ √
Solution: Firstly, we need to calculate partial derivatives at Pxy = ( 2, − 3):

∂f
√ √ p √
∂x
( 2, − 3) = ∂x∂
( 9 − x2 − y 2 )|(√2,−√3) = √ −2x2 2 |(√2,−√3) = − 22 ,
2 9−x −y
∂f
√ √ p −2y
√
∂y
( 2, − 3) = ∂
∂y
( 9 − x 2 − y 2 )| √ √
( 2,− 3)
= √ | √ √ = 2
3
.
2 2 ( 2,− 3)
2 9−x −y

The equation of a tangent plane is equal to

√
2
√ √
3
√
z−2=− 2
(x − 2) + 2
(y + 3)

which may be simplified to

√ √
2x − 3y + 2x − 9 = 0.

Total differential
If f is function of two variables, which is differentiable at (x, y) (in the domain of f ), then

∂f ∂f
f (x + h, y + h) = f (x, y) + (x, y)h + (x, y)k .
∂x ∂y

The number
∂f ∂f
(x, y)h + (x, y)k
∂x ∂y
is called the differential (or total differential) of f at (x, y) (with increments h and k) and is
denoted
df .

Thus df depends on x, y, h and k. We can write this formula as

∂f ∂f
dy = (x, y)dx + (x, y)dy .
∂x ∂y
arctan
√ 0.9 .
Example 9. Using the differential of a function calculate the approximated value of 4.02

Solution: We are going to use the following formula:

∂f ∂f
f (x0 + ∆x, y0 + ∆y) ≈ f (x0 , y0 ) + (x0 , y0 )∆x + (x0 , y0 )∆y.
∂x ∂y

Let us assume:

arctan x
f (x, y) = √ , (x0 , y0 ) = (1, 4), ∆x = −0.1, ∆y = 0.02.
y
Partial derivatives - c CNMiKnO PG - 5

Then, we have:

∂f 1 ∂f arctan x
f (1, 4) = 0, 125π , = √ , = √ .
∂x (1 + x2 ) y ∂y −2y y
∂f ∂f
furthermore, ∂x
(1, 4) = 0.25 and ∂y
(1, 4) = −0.015625π. So:

arctan 0.9
√ = f (0.9, 4.02) ≈ 0.125π+0.25·(−0.1)−0.015625π·0.02 = 0.1246875π−0.125 ≈ 0.366717.
4.02