FootHill College, F/W/S/Smr 20

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Math 1C: §11.1 : Function of Several Variables.

1. Visual Representations of functions of two variables.

- We look at more techniques to visualize functions of two variables.

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Example: Sketch the graph g(x, y) = 25 − x2 − y 2 .

- Another method for visualizing functions, borrowed from mapmakers, is contour maps on which points of
constant elevation are joined to form contour lines, or level curves.

Definition: The level curves of a function f of two variables are the curves with equations f (x, y) = k,
where k is a constant (in the range of f ). In other words, it shows where the graph of f has height k. The set
of contour lines forms a contour map.

Example: Draw a contour map of the function f (x, y) = x3 − y showing several level curves.

§11.1: pg 1; Book: Stewart 4th ed.

Exercise: Two contour maps are shown. One is for a function f whose graph is a cone. The other is for a
function g whose graph is a paraboloid. Which is which, and why?

Example: A contour map of a function is shown. Use it to make a rough sketch of the graph of f .

2. Applications.

Example: (Optional) Shown is a contour map of atmospheric pressure in North America on August 12, 2008.
On the level curves (called isobars) the pressure is indicated in millibars (mb).
(a) Estimate the pressure at C (Chicago), N (Nashville), S (San Francisco), and V (Vancouver).
(b) At which of these locations were the winds strongest?

§11.1: pg 2; Book: Stewart 4th ed.

3. Functions of three or more variables.

Example: Find the domain of f (x, y, z) = ln(x − y) + z 2 cos(x)

We saw that level curves are used to help grasp an idea for the graph of a function of two variables. For
functions of three variables, we use level surfaces.

Example: Describe the level surfaces of the function f (x, y, z) = x2 − y 2 − z 2 .

§11.1: pg 3; Book: Stewart 4th ed.