Functions of Several

Variables
• Partial Differentiation
• Chain Rule
• Extreme Points
 Introduction

• Function of Single Variable y=f(x) ,

• Function of Two Variables z=f(x,y)

• Function of several variables w=f(x,y,z,r,s……)

Partial Derivatives
• Let z=f(x,y), the derivative of z with respect to x is expressed as :

And the derivative of z with respect to y is:

When we evaluate the partial derivative with respect to any variable

we treat the other variables as constants.
Example-1: Find the values of at the point (4,-5) if

• Solution:
To find we differentiate with respect to x and treat y as constant:

To find we differentiate with respect to y and treat x as constant:

Example-2:Find as a function if

• Solution:
 Example-3: Find and as functions if ( )

. . . . . ( )
Example-4: Find from the equation:
• Solution: We differentiate both sides with respect to x, treat y as constant, and consider z as
a differentiable function
Example-5: If what is

• Solution:
Second Order Partial Derivatives
•

•
Example-6:

• Solution:
Chain Rule
• If w=f(x,y) with x=x(t) and y=y(t) then
Example-7:

• Solution
• If w=f(x,y,z) with x=x(t) y=y(t) z=z(t) then
Example-8:
• Solution:
Chain Rule: Two or More Dependent Variables
 Example-9:
• Solution:
Extreme Values and Saddle Points
• First derivative test: If f(x,y) has a local maximum or minimum at an
interior point (a,b), then .
Example-10:
• Solution: