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Calculus for Functions of Several Variables
Chapter 14 Exam
Code : Math 120 Last Name: List No:
Acad.Year : 2022-2023 Name:
Semester : Fall Signature:
Date : 26.11.2022 Student No:
Time : 14:40 6 QUESTIONS 4 PAGES
Duration : 50 minutes TOTAL 50 POINTS
Q1(8) Q2(10) Q3(6) Q4(6) Q5(6) Q6(14)

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1. (4 + 4 = 8 pts.) Find the limit, if it exists and prove that number is the limit; otherwise,
prove that the limit does not exist.
2x2 + tan(y 2 )
(a) lim
(x,y)→(0,0) x2 + y 2

2x2 + tan(y 2 ) tan(y 2 )

On the curve x = 0, lim = lim = 1.
(x,y)→(0,0) x2 + y 2 y→0 y2
2x2 + tan(y 2 ) 2x2
On the curve y = 0, lim = lim = 2.
(x,y)→(0,0) x2 + y 2 x→0 x2

Since we have two different limits on two different curves that approach (0, 0),
the original limit does not exist.
x4 sin(y 2 )
(b) lim
(x,y)→(0,0) x4 + y 2
x4
For all (x, y) 6= (0, 0), 0 ≤ x4 ≤ x4 + y 2 , so we have 0 ≤ 4 ≤ 1.
x + y2
x4 sin(y 2 )
Multiplying each term by | sin(y 2 )|, we get 0 ≤ ≤ | sin(y 2 )|, which implies
x4 + y 2

x4 sin(y 2 )
−| sin(y 2 )| ≤ ≤ | sin(y 2 )|.
x4 + y 2

x4 sin(y 2 )
Since lim ±| sin(y 2 )| = 0, by Squeeze Theorem, lim = 0.
(x,y)→(0,0) (x,y)→(0,0) x4 + y 2
2. (4 + 4 + 2 = 10 pts.) Let f (x, y) = x2 + xy 3 .

(a) Calculate ∇f (2, 1), in other words, the gradient of f (x, y) at the point (2, 1).

∇f (2, 1) = hfx , fy i
(2,1)

= h2x + y 3 , 3xy 2 i
(2,1)

= h5, 2i

Therefore ∇f (2, 1) = h5, 6i.

(b) Calculate the directional derivative of f (x, y) at the point (2, 1) in the direction of
v = h5, −12i.
 
5 −12
The unit vector in the direction of v = h5, −12i is u = , , hence
13 13

 
5 −12 5 · 5 + 6 · (−12) −47
Du f (2, 1) = ∇f (2, 1) • u = h5, 6i • , = = .
13 13 13 13

(c) Find the direction in which f increases most rapidly at the point (2, 1).

The direction in which f (x, y) increases most rapidly at a point (a, b) is the direction
of the gradient at that point, i.e., ∇f (a, b).  
∇f (2, 1) 5 6
Therefore, answer we are looking for is u = = √ ,√ .
||∇f (2, 1)|| 61 61

3. (6 pts.) Write an equation of the tangent plane to the surface given by

xz + cos(z 2 ) + 1 = x2 y + y 3

at the point P (−1, 1, 0).

For a level surface F (x, y, z) = C where F is has continuous partial derivatives at the
point (a, b, c), ∇F (a, b, c) is a normal vector for the tangent plane of the surface.
We write xz + cos(z 2 ) + 1 = x2 y + y 3 as F (x, y, z) = xz + cos(z 2 ) + 1 − x2 y − y 3 = 0.
Therefore,

∇F (−1, 1, 0) = hz − 2xy, −x2 − 3y 2 , x − sin(z 2 ) · (2z)i = h2, −4, −1i

(−1,1,0)

is a normal to the tangent plane to the surface at (−1, 1, 0).

Hence, we can write the tangent plane with the normal h2, −4, −1i at (−1, 1, 0) as

2x − 4y − z = −6.
4. (6 pts.) Suppose that F (x, y) is a differentiable function where

x(s, t) = t2 − 2s2 y(s, t) = se3t + 1.

Calculate Ft when (s, t) = (1, 0) as an expression containing Fx and Fy .

Notice that when (s, t) = (1, 0), we have (x, y) = (−2, 2).
Chain Rule for Ft looks like Ft = Fx · xt + Fy · yt = Fx · (2t) + Fy · (3se3t ). Hence,

· 2se2t


Ft = Fx · (2t) + Fy
(s,t)=(1,0) (x,y)=(−2,2) (s,t)=(1,0) (x,y)=(−2,2) (s,t)=(1,0)

Therefore,
Ft (1, 0) = 0 · Fx (−2, 2) + 3 · Fy (−2, 2) = 2Fy (−2, 2)

5. (6 pts.) Using the Method of Lagrange Multipliers, find the point on the plane
3x − 2y + 6z = 4 closest to the point P (1, 1, 1) and the distance of this plane to P .
Consider the square of the distance to the point (1, 1, 1) function

f (x, y, z) = d2 (x, y, z) = (x − 1)2 + (y − 1)2 + (z − 1)2 .

Since square root is a strictly increasing function, finding the minimum of f = d2

is equivalent to finding the minimum of d.
To find the minimum of f (x, y, z) when 3x−2y +6z = 4, it is best to apply The Method
of Lagrange Multipliers where g(x, y, z) = 3x − 2y + 6z = 4 is the constraint.
The Lagrange System we need to solve is below.

fx = λgx fy = λgy fz = λgz g(x, y, z) = 4

2(x − 1) = 3λ 2(y − 1) = −2λ 2(z − 1) = 6λ 3x − 2y + 6z = 4

If we solve for x, y, z for λ in the first three equations, we get

3λ + 2 −2λ + 2 6λ + 2
x= y= z= .
2 2 2

Inserting in the constraint equation gives

     
3λ + 2 −2λ + 2 6λ + 2
3 −2 +6 =4
2 2 2
(32 + (−2)2 + 62 )λ = 8 − (6 − 4 + 12)
! 
3 −6 −6 −6




−2

−6 49
+ 2 49
+ 2 6 49
+ 2 40 55 31
Hence, λ = and (x, y, z) = , , = , , .
49 2 2 2 49 49 49
Therefore, the closest point of 3x − 2y + 6z = 4 to the point P (1, 1, 1) is
(40/49, 55/49, 31/49) and the distance is
p
d= (1 − 40/49)2 + (1 − 55/49)2 + (1 − 31/49)2 = 9.
6. (2 + 4 + 8 = 14 pts.) Let f (x, y) = xy − x − 2y + 3.

(a) Find the critical point(s) of f (x, y) on R2 .

fx = y − 1 = 0 fy = x − 2 = 0 =⇒ x = 2 and y = 1.
Hence,(2, 1) is the only critical point of f (x, y).
(b) Classify the critical point(s) of f (x, y) using the Second Derivative Test.

fxx = 0 fxy = fyx = 0 fyy = 0.

Therefore, D = −1 < 0 for every critical point.
Hence there is neither a local minimum nor a maximum of f (x, y) at (2, 1).
(c) Find the absolute extrema of f (x, y) on the closed triangular region T with vertices
(1, 0), (5, 0), (1, 4).

Extreme Value Theorem guarantees that the continuous function f (x, y) has an
absolute maximum and minimum on the closed and bounded domain T .
There are no points where ∇f does not exist.
The only critical point of f (x, y) is (2, 1) which is inside T , so we need f (2, 1) = 1
There are three boundary components of T and the absolute extrema could be at
any point of the boundary, not just the vertices!
ˆ On the line segment from (1, 0) to (5, 0), we have y = 0, 1 ≤ x ≤ 5, hence
f (x, y) = f (x, 0) = 3 − x = g(x) where 1 ≤ x ≤ 5
g(x) is clearly differentiable and has no critical points since g 0 (x) = −1 6= 0.
Therefore we will be interested in g(1) = 2 and g(5) = −2 which in turn give us
f (1, 0) = 2 and f (5, 0) = −2.
ˆ On the line segment from (1, 0) to (1, 4), we have x = 1, 0 ≤ y ≤ 4, hence
f (x, y) = f (1, y) = 2 − y = h(y) where 0 ≤ y ≤ 4
h(y) is clearly differentiable and has no critical points since h0 (y) = −1 6= 0.
Therefore we will be interested in h(0) = 2 and h(4) = −2 which in turn give
us f (1, 0) = 2 and f (1, 4) = −2.
ˆ On the line segment from (1, 4) to (5, 0), we have y = 5 − x, 1 ≤ x ≤ 5, hence
f (x, y) = f (x, 5 − x) = −x2 + 6x − 7 = k(x) where 1 ≤ x ≤ 5
k(x) is clearly differentiable. Since k 0 (x) = −2x + 6 = 0, the only critical point
of k(x) is at x = 3 ∈ [1, 5]. Therefore we will be interested in k(1) = −2,
k(5) = −2, and also k(3) = 2 which in turn give us f (1, 4) = −2, f (5, 0) = −2,
and f (3, 2) = 2.
Comparing all the important values we found, we conclude,
the absolute maximum of f (x, y) on T is 2, attained at (1, 0) and (3, 2), and
the absolute minimum of f (x, y) on T is −2, attained at (1, 4) and (5, 0).