Consider the function:

(
xy(x2 − y 2 )/(x2 + y 2 ) for (x, y) 6= (0, 0)
f (x, y) = (1)
0 for (x, y) = (0, 0)
Part 1 of this exercise:
Show that the mixed second derivatives of f are unequal at the
origin

Writing (1) as (x2 + y 2 )f (x, y) = xy(x2 − y 2 ) and differentiating f with

respect to x gives
∂f
(x2 + y 2 ) + 2xf = 3x2 y − y 3 (2)
∂x
Substituting for f gives:

∂f 2x2 y y(x2 − y 2 )2
= 2 − (3)
∂x x + y2 (x2 + y 2 )2

∂f (0, 0) ∂f (x, 0) ∂f (0, y)

So = 0, = 0, = −y (4)
∂x ∂x ∂x
and with respect to y gives
∂f
(x2 + y 2 ) + 2yf = x3 − 3xy 2 (5)
∂y
Substituting for f gives:

∂f −2xy 2 x(x2 − y 2 )2
= 2 + (6)
∂y x + y2 (x2 + y 2 )2

∂f (0, 0) ∂f (x, 0) ∂f (0, y)

So = 0, = x, =0 (7)
∂y ∂y ∂y
Differentiating (4) with respect to y gives
!
∂ ∂f (0, y)
= −1
∂y ∂x
and (7) with respect to x gives
!
∂ ∂f (x, 0)
= +1
∂x ∂y

1
Showing that
! !
∂ ∂f (0, y) ∂ ∂f (x, 0)
6 = at (0, 0) (8)
∂y ∂x ∂x ∂y

Part 2 of this exercise:

Establish directly the lack of continuity in the second partial
derivatives of f at the origin

Differentiating (2) with respect to x gives

2 2∂ 2f ∂f ∂f
(x + y ) 2 + 2x + 2x + 2f = 6xy
∂x ∂x ∂x
∂ 2f ∂f
Rearranging gives (x2 + y 2 ) 2 = 6xy − 4x − 2f
∂x ∂x
∂ 2 f (0, y) ∂ 2 f (x, 0)
Therefore = 0, =0 (9)
∂x2 ∂x2
∂ 2f
and along the line y = x, = +1 (10)
∂x2
∂ 2f
and along the line y = −x, = −1 (11)
∂x2
Differentiating (5) with respect to y gives

∂ 2f ∂f ∂f
(x2 + y 2 ) 2
+ 2y + 2y + 2f = −6xy
∂y ∂y ∂y
∂ 2f ∂f
Rearranging gives (x2 + y 2 ) 2 = −6xy − 4y − 2f
∂y ∂y
∂ 2 f (0, y) ∂ 2 f (x, 0)
Therefore = 0, =0 (12)
∂y 2 ∂y 2
∂ 2f
and along the line y = x, = −1 (13)
∂y 2
∂ 2f
and along the line y = −x, = +1 (14)
∂y 2
Result (8) and results (9) to (14) show the lack of continuity in the second
partial derivatives of f at the origin.