CHAPTER 5: FUNCTIO

NS OF SEVERAL VARI
ABLES

Page 1
In this Chapter:
 5.1 Functions of Several Variables
 5.2Limits and Continuity
 5.3 Partial Derivatives
 5.4 Tangent Planes and Linear Approximations
 5.5 The Chain Rule
 5.6 Directional Derivatives and the Gradient Vector
 5.7 Maximum and Minimum Values
 5.8 Lagrange Multipliers

Page 2
DEFINITION: A function f of
two variables is a rule that
assigns to each ordered pair of
real numbers (x, y) in a set D a
unique real number denoted by
f(x, y). The set D is the domain
of f and its range is the set of
values that f takes on, that is,
 f ( x , y. ) ( x , y )  D 

Page 3
We often write z=f (x, y) to
make explicit the value taken
on by f at the general point (x,
y) . The variables x and y are
independent variables and z
is the dependent variable.
E.g:
f (x, y) 94x2y2 f (x,y,z) x2y2z2

Page 4
Combinations and compositions of functions
If conditions are satisfied on two functions f and
gof several variables, then
( f  g )( x , y )  f ( x , y )  g ( x , y )
( f  g )( x , y )  f ( x , y )  g ( x , y )
( fg )( xy )  f ( x , y ) g ( x , y )
 f  f ( x, y)
  ( x , y ) 
 g  g (x, y)

Page 5
Page 6
 x  y 1
Domain of f ( x, y ) 
x 1

Page 7
Domain of f ( x , y )  x ln( y 2
 x)

Page 8
Domain of g( x, y)  9  x  y
2 2

Page 9
DEFINITION If f is a
function of two variables
with domain D, then the
graph of f is the set of all
points (x, y, z) in R such
3

that z=f (x, y) and (x, y) is

in D.

Page 10
Page 11
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).

Page 12
The idea behind the level curves is to
provide three-dimensional information
in a two dimensional setting.
1.Level curves are employed in contour
maps to indicate elevations and
depths of points on the surface of the
earth. A single level curve represents
points of identical altitude.
2. On a weather map a level curve
represents points with identical
temperature or barometric pressure.

Page 13
Figure 9
Page 14
Page 15
 2 2
Let f (x, y) 9 x  y . Sketch the graph of f and
indicate the level curves.
Solution: If we let z  f (x, y) , the equation
of f becomes z  9  x 2  y 2 (1)
Again squaring both sides and transposing x2
and y2 we obtain x2  y2  z2  9
This last equation resembles the equation of
a sphere of radius 3 units. (1) holds for
nonnegative z, we can conclude the graph of
f is the hemisphere sketched in Figure 6
below.
The level curve f(x,y)=k is a circle if 0  k  3is a
circle and the point (0, 0) is k = 3. See
Figure 7 below.

Page 16
 Figure 6

Graph of g ( x , y )  9  x 2  y 2

Page 17
Contour map of g ( x, y )  9  x 2  y 2

Figure 7

Page 18
Let f ( x , y )  6  3 x  2 y. Sketch the graph
of f and sketch the level curves.
Solution: If we let z=f(x,y), then
the equation becomes z= 6-3x-2y.
This is an equation of a plane with x
intercept 2, y intercept 3, and z
intercept 6. The sketch is given in
Figure 8. For any value of c, the
level curve f(x,y)=k is the line
equation 3x+2y=6-k.

Page 19
Page 20
Contour map of f (x, y)63x2y
Page 21
 Figure 10

The graph of h (x, y)=4x2+y2

is formed by lifting the level curves.
Page 22
Figure 11

Page 23
Page 24
1.DEFINITION Let f be a function of two
variables whose domain D includes points
arbitrarily close to (a, b). Then we say that the
limit of f (x, y) as (x, y) approaches (a ,b)
is L and we write
lim f ( x, y)  L
( x , y )  ( a ,b )

if for every number ε> 0 there is a corresponding

number δ> 0 such that
If ( x , y )  D and 0  ( x  a) 2  ( y  b) 2   then f (x, y)  L  

Page 25
Page 26
If f( x, y)→L1 as (x, y)→ (a ,b)
along a path C1 and f (x, y) →L2
as (x, y)→ (a, b) along a path
C2, where L1≠L2, then
lim (x, y)→ (a, b) f (x, y) does not
exist.

Page 27
 3  y3
Show lim x
0 (1)
( x , y )  (0, 0 ) x 2  y 2
Solution: using polar coordinates
x=rcos and y=rsin. Then (x,y)
approaches (0, 0) if and only if r
approaches 0. Since
x 3  y 3 r 3 cos 3   r 3 sin 3  3   sin 3  )
  r (cos
2
x y 2 r 2

Since limr0r(cos3 sin3 )0 , it follows

that (1) is valid.

Page 28
4. DEFINITION A function f of
two variables is called
continuous at (a, b) if
lim f ( x, y )  f (a, b)
( x , y )  ( a ,b )

We say f is continuous on D if f
is continuous at every point (a,
b) in D.

Page 29
5.If f is defined on a subset D of
Rn, then lim x→a f(x) =L means that
for every number ε> 0 there is a
corresponding number δ> 0 such
that

0  x a   f (x)  L  
If x D
and then

Page 30
 xy
Example Let F ( x , y )  sin
1 x 2  y 2

Show that F is a continuous function.

xy
Solution: First we let f ( x, y)  2 2 and
1 x  y
g(t)sint
Then F=gof. Furthermore, f and g are
continuous functions, and consequently
so is their composite F.

Page 31
4, If f is a function of two variables,
its partial derivatives are the
functions fx and fy defined by
f ( x  h, y )  f ( x, y )
f x ( x , y )  lim
h0 h

f ( x, y  h)  f ( x, y)
f y ( x, y)  lim
h0 h

Page 32
NOTATIONS FOR PARTIAL DERIVATIVES If
Z=f (x, y) , we write

f  z
f x ( x, y)  f x   f (x, y)   f1  D 1 f  D x f
x x x

f  z
f y ( x, y)  f y   f ( x, y)   f2  D2 f  D y f
y y y

Page 33
Example: Let f (x, y)  24xy6x2y. Find f and
x
f .
y

Evaluate f x and f y at (1, 2).

Solution: By holding y constant and

differentiating f with respect to x, we
f
obtain x( x, y )  24 y 12 xy and f x (1,2)  48  24  24 .
By holding x constant and differentiating
f with respect to y, we find that
f
y ( x , y )  24 x  6 x 2 and f y (1,2 )  24  6 18

Page 34
RULE FOR FINDING PARTIAL
DERIVATIVES OF z=f (x, y)
1.To find fx, regard y as a constant
and differentiate f (x, y) with
respect to x.
2. To find fy, regard x as a constant
and differentiate f (x, y) with
respect to y.
Page 35
FIGURE 20
The partial derivatives of f at (a, b) are
the slopes of the tangents to C1 and C2.

Page 36
The second partial derivatives of f. If z=f (x,
y), we use the following notation:

  f  2 f 2z
( f x ) x  f xx  f 11     
x  x  x 2
x 2

  f  2 f 2z
( f x ) y  f xy  f 12     
y  x  yx yx

  f  2 f 2z
( f y ) x  f yx  f 21     
x  y  xy xy

  f  2 f 2z
( f y ) y  f yy  f 22     
y   y   y 2
 y 2

Page 37
Example: Let f ( x, y)  sin xy 2 . Find all
second derivatives of f.

Solution: The first partial are given by:

f x (x, y)  y2 cosxy2 and f y (x, y)  2xycosxy2

We obtain the second partials by computing
the partial derivatives of the first partials:
f ( x , y )   y 4 sin xy 2
xx
f ( x , y )  2 y cos xy 2  2 xy 3 sin xy 2
xy
f ( x , y )  2 y cos xy 2  2 xy 3 sin xy 2
yx
f ( x , y )  2 x cos xy 2  4 x 2 y 2 sin xy 2
yy
Page 38
CLAIRAUT’S THEOREM
Suppose f is defined on a
disk D that contains the
point (a, b) . If the
functions fxy and fyx are both
continuous on D, then
f xy ( a , b )  f yx ( a , b )

Page 39
2. Suppose f has continuous
partial derivatives. An
equation of the tangent plane
to the surface z=f (x, y) at
the point P (xo ,yo ,zo) is
z  z0  f x ( x0 , y0 )(x  x0 )  f y ( x0 , y0 )( y  y0 )

Page 40
The linear function whose graph is this tangent
plane, namely

3. L( x, y)  f (a, b)  f x (a, b)(x  a)  f y (a, b)( y  b)

is called the linearization of f at (a, b) and the

approximation

4. f ( x, y)  f (a, b)  f x (a, b)( x  a)  f y (a, b)( y  b)

is called the linear approximation or the

tangent plane approximation of f at (a, b)

Page 41
7. DEFINITION If z= f (x, y),
then f is differentiable at (a, b)
if ∆z can be expressed in the form

z  f x (a, b)x  f y (a, b)y  1x   2 y

where ε1 and ε2→ 0 as (∆x,

∆y)→(0,0).

Page 42
8. THEOREM If the partial
derivatives fx and fy exist
near (a, b) and are
continuous at (a, b), then f
is differentiable at (a, b).

Page 43
The tangent plane approximation given in
equations 1 through 3 below is a reminiscent
of the tangent line approximation.
f (xy) f (x0 , y0) fx (x0, y0)(x y0)  fy (x0, y0)(y  y0) (1)

As any point (x, y, z) on the plane tangent to

the graph of f at (x0, y0, f(x0, y0)) satisfies:
z  f (x0 , y0) fx (x0, y0)(x y0)  fy (x0, y0)(y y0) (2)
In order to emphasize that we will consider
only points (x, y) close to (x0, y0), we replace x
by x0+h and y by y0+k and thus we obtain:
f (x0 h, y0 k) f (x0 , y0) fx(x0, y0)h fy (x0, y0)k (3)

Page 44
Example
a)Approximate (3.012 ) 2
 (3.997) 2

b) Suppose a cardboard box in the shape of a

rectangular parallelepiped has outer
dimensions 14, 14, and 28 inches. If the
cardboard is 1/8 inch thick, approximate the
volume of the cardboard.
Solution:
a)Since 3.012 is close to 3 and 3.997 is close
to 4, and since 32  4 2  5, we let f (x, y)  x2  y2
and assume x0=3, y0=4, h=0.012 and
k=-0.003. Obviously,
x y
f x (x, y)  f y (x, y) 
x y
2 2 x y
2 2

Page 45
 3
Hence, f x (3,4 )  and f y (3,4 ) 
4 . Then, we obtain:
5 5

(3..012)2  (3.997)2  f (3.012, 3.997)

 f (3,4)  f x (3,4)(0.012)  f y (3,4)(0.003)
3 4
 5  (0.012)  (0.003)  5.0048
5 5
The actual value of the given square root is
5.00481, accurate to 6 places. The accuracy of
the estimate is sounding, and finding the
estimate involved little computation.

Page 46
Let V(x, y, z)=xyz. Then V(14, 14, 28) is the
volume of the box with outer dimensions 14,
14, and 28. If we let x0=y0=14 and z0=28, and
1
h=k= 4 , then we seek


 1 1 1 
V (14 , 14 , 28 )  v  14  , 14  , 28  
 4 4 4 
 V x (14 , 14 , 28 ) h  V y (14 , 14 , 28 ) k  V z (14 , 14 , 28 ) l

1 1 1
  14 . 28 (  )  14 . 28 (  )  14 . 14 (  )  245
4 4 4

Thus the volume of the cardboard is approximately 245

cubic inches.
The actual volume of cardboard is 241.516 cubic inches
accurate to 6 places, so the estimate in error by less
than 4 cubic inches. Page 47
For a differentiable function of two
variables, z= f (x ,y), we define
the differentials dx and dy to be
independent variables; that is,
they can be given any values.
Then the differential dz, also
called the total differential, is
defined by
z z
dz  f x ( x, y)dx  f y ( x, y)dy  dx  dy
x y

Page 48
Example:
a)Let f ( x , y )  xy 2
 y sin x. Find df.
b) Let f  ( x , y , z )  x 2
In ( y  x ). Find df .

f f
Solution:  y 2  y cos x and  2 xy  sin x
a) Since,  x y

We deduce that:  y cos x ) dx  ( 2 xy  sin x ) dy

 2
df ( y
f f x2 f  x2 x2
 2 xIn( y  z ),  ,  
b) Since, x y y  x z y  z z  y

The above equations imply that:

x2 x2
df  2 xIn ( y  z ) dx  dy  dz
yx zy
Page 49
Figure 25
Page 50
For such functions the linear
approximation is

f ( x, y, z)  f (a, b, c)  f x (a, b, c)( x  a)  f y (a, b, c)( y  b)  f z (a, b, c)( z  c)

and the linearization L (x, y, z) is

the right side of this expression.

Page 51
If w=f (x, y, z), then the increment
of w is

w  f ( x  x, y  y, z  z)  f ( x, y, z)

The differential dw is defined in

terms of the differentials dx, dy, and
dz of the independent
variables by
w w w
dw  dx  dy  dz
x y z

Page 52
2. THE CHAIN RULE (CASE 1)
Suppose that z=f (x, y) is a
differentiable function of x and y,
where x=g (t) and y=h (t) and are
both differentiable functions of t.
Then z is a differentiable function
of t and dz f dx f dy
 
dt x dt y dt

Page 53
3. THE CHAIN RULE (CASE 2) Suppose
that z=f (x, y) is a differentiable function
of x and y, where x=g (s, t) and y=h (s,
t) are differentiable functions of s and t.
Then
dz z dx z dy dz z dx z dy
   
ds x ds y ds dt x dt y dt

Page 54
Page 55
Page 56
Page 57
4. THE CHAIN RULE (GENERAL
VERSION) Suppose that u is a
differentiable function of the n variables
x1, x2,‧‧‧,xn and each xj is a differentiable
function of the m variables t1, t2,‧‧‧,tm
Then u is a function of t1, t2,‧‧‧, tm and

u u dx1 u x2 u xn

  ‧‧‧
ti x1 dti x2 dti xn ti
for each i=1,2,‧‧‧,m.

Page 58
 2 e y , x  sin t , and y  t 3 . dz
Example :a) z  x Find dt
b) z  xIny, x  u2  v2, and y  u2  v2
Solution: Applying the rules, we obtain
a) dz   z dx   z dy  2 x 2 e cos t  x 2 e y (3t 2 )
dt  x dt  y dt
3 3
 2 (sin t ) e ( t ) cos t  3(sin 2 t ) e ( t ) t 2
b) dz  z dx  z dy  x 
   ( Iny )( 2 u )    ( 2 u )
du  x du zy du  y 
u2v2
 2 uIn ( u  v )  2 u 2
2 2
2
and
u v
dz  z dx  z dy  x 
   ( Iny )( 2 v )    (  2 v )
dv  x dv zy dv  y 
2 2
u  v
 2 vIn ( u 2  v 2 )  2v 2
u v2
Page 59
F (x, y)=0. Since both x and y are functions of
x, we obtain
F dx F dy
 0
x dx y dx
But dx /dx=1, so if ∂F/∂y≠0 we solve for
dy/dx and obtain
F
dy x Fx
 
dx F Fy
y

Page 60
F (x, y, z)=0 F dx F dy F z
  0
x dx y dx z x
 
But x ( x)  1 and ( y)  1
x
so this equation becomes F F z
 0
x z x
If ∂F/∂z≠0 ,we solve for ∂z/∂x and obtain the
first formula. The formula for ∂z/∂y is
obtained in a similar manner.
F F
dz
  x
dz y
F 
dx dy F
z z
Page 61
Figure 30

Page 62
2. DEFINITION The directional
derivative of f at (xo,yo) in the
direction of a unit vector u=<a,
b> is
f ( x0  ha, y0  hb)  f ( x0 , y0 )
Du f ( x0 , y0 )  lim
h0 h

if this limit exists.

Page 63
3. THEOREM If f is a
differentiable function of x and
y, then f has a directional
derivative in the direction of
any unit vector u=<a, b> and
Du f ( x, y)  f x ( x, y)a  f y ( x, y)b

Page 64
Example: Let f (x, y)63x2  y2 and let
1 1
u= i j . Find D f (1, 2 ) .
2 2 u

Solution: Clearly, u is a unit vector. We first

calculate the partial derivatives
f ( x , y )   6 x and f ( x , y )   2 y and
x y
Evaluate D f (1, 2 ) using the formula
u
D f (x0, y0)  f x(x0, y0)a1  f y (x0, y0)a2
u
,where u= a1i  a 2 j .
Page 65
Therefore,
1 1
D f (1,2) fx(1,2)  f y(1,2)( )
u 2 2
1 1
(6)( )(4)( ) 2
2 2

Page 66
8. DEFINITION If f is a
function of two variables x and
y , then the gradient of f is
the vector function f defined
by
f f
f ( x, y)  f x ( x, y), f y ( x, y)  i  j
x y
Du f ( x, y)  f ( x, y)  u

Page 67
10. DEFINITION: The
directional derivative of f at
(x0, y0, z0) in the direction of a
unit vector u=<a, b, c> is
f ( x0  ha, y0  hb, z0  hc)  f ( x0 , y0 , z0 )
Du f ( x0 , y0 , z0 )  lim
h0 h

if this limit exists.

f ( x0  hu)  f ( x0 )
Du f ( x0 )  lim
h0 h
Page 68
 Let f be a function of two variables that has
partial derivatives at ( x 0 , y 0 ). Then the

gradient f at ( x 0 , y 0 ) ,denoted grad f(X0,Y0)

Or  f ( x 0 , y 0 ) is defined by

grad f (x0 , y0 )  f (x0 , y0 )  f x (x0 ,y0 )i  f y (x0 ,y0 ) j

grad f ( x0 , y0 , z0 ) f ( x0 , y0 , z0 )  f x ( x0 ,y0 , z0 )i  f y ( x0 ,y0 , z0 ) j  f x ( x0 ,y0 , z0 )k

f f f
 f  f x , f y , f z  i j k
x y z
Du f (x, y, z) f (x, y, z)u
Page 69
Let f (x, y)  sinxy. Find a formula for the

gradient of f and evaluate it at grad f ( ,1).
3

Solution:
grad f (x, y)  f x (x, y)  f y (x, y)  y cosxyi x cosxyj

Consequently,
    1 
grad f ( ,1)  cos i  cos j  i  j
3 3 3 3 2 6

Page 70
15. THEOREM Suppose f is a
differentiable function of two or
three variables. The maximum
value of the directional derivative
Du f(x) is │▽f (x)│ and it occurs
when the unit vector u has the
same direction as the gradient
vector ▽ f(x) .

Page 71
Example

Let f (x, y)  6  3x  y. In what direction is f

2 2

increasing most rapidly at (1, 2)?

Solution:
Clearly, f x ( x, y )  6 x and f y ( x, y )  2 y

Therefore,grad f (1,2)  f x (1,2)i  f y (1,2) j  6i  4 j

Thus f increases most rapidly at (1, 2) in the

direction of  6i  4 j

Page 72
Equation of
Tangent
Plane

The equation of this tangent plane as

F0 ( x0 , y0 , z0 )(x  x0 )  Fy ( x0 , y0 , z0 )( y  y0 )  Fz ( x0 , y0 , z0 )(z  z0 )  0
The symmetric equations of the normal
line to soot P are
x  x0 y  y0 z  z0
 
Fx ( x0 , y0 , z0 ) Fy ( x0 , y0 , z0 ) Fz ( x0 , y0 , z0 )

Page 73
Theorem: Let f be a differentiable at

(x0, y0) and let f(x0, y0). Also let C be

the level curve f(x,y)=c that passes
through (xo, yo). If C is smooth and
grad f ( x0 , y0 )  0 , then grad f ( x 0 , y 0 ) is

normal to C at (xo, yo).

Page 74
Example:
Assume that the curve x2  xy3y2  5 is a smooth,
curve find a unit vector that is perpendicular to
the curve at (1, -1).
Solution: Let , f (x, y) x xy3y so that the given
2 2

curve is the level curve of f(x,y)=5. Since f(1,-

1)=5, then the point (1,-1) lies on the level
curve. Clearly, by the above theorem, grad
f(1,-1) is perpendicular to the given curve at
(1,-1). Hence,
grad f(x, y)=(2x-y)i+(-x+6y)j and grad
f(1, -1)=3i-7j 1 1
In the end the unit vector 3i  7 j  3i  7 j    3i  7 j is
58
the desired vector perpendicular to the given
curve Page 75
Example:
Find an equation of the plane tangent to the
sphere x2  y2  z2  4 at the point (-1, 1,√2).
Solution:
The sphere is the level surface f(x,y,z)=4, where
f (x, y)= x  y  z. The partials of f at
2 2 2

(-1, 1,√2) are given by:

fx(1,1, 2)2, fy(1,1, 2)2, fz(1,1, 2)2 2
Therefore an equation of the plane tangent at (-1, 1,√2) is
given in general:
fx (x0, y0, z0 )(x  x0) f y (x0, y0, z0)(y  y0 ) fz (x0, y0, z0 )(z  z0 ) 0

Hence, the required equation is: -2(x-(-1))+2(y-1)+2 √2(z-

√2)=0 or equivalently, -x+y+ √2z=4

Page 76
Page 77
Page 78
Page 79
1. DEFINITION: A function of two
variables has a local maximum at (a,
b) if f (x, y) ≤ f (a, b) when (x, y) is
near (a, b). [This means that
f (x, y) ≤ f (a, b) for all points (x, y)
in some disk with center (a, b).] The
number f (a, b) is
called a local maximum value. If f
(x, y) ≥ f (a, b) when (x, y) is near
(a, b), then f (a, b) is a local minimum
value.

Page 80
Definition:
A point (a, b) is called a critical point (or
stationary point) of f if fx (a, b)=0 and fy
(a, b)=0, or if one of these partial
derivatives does not exist.

Theorem:
Let f has a relative extreme value at (x0,
y0). If f has partial derivatives at (x0, y0),
then f x ( x 0, y 0 )  f y ( x 0, y 0 )  0

Page 81
Example:
Let f ( x, y)  3  x 2  2 x  y 2  4 y . Find all critical
points of f.
Solution:
The partial derivatives of f exist at every point
in the domain of f, so relative extreme values
can occur only at points at which partial
derivatives are 0. The partial derivatives are;
f x ( x, y)  2 x  2 and f y ( x, y)  2 y  4
Therefore, f x ( x , y )  0 only if x=1and f y ( x , y )  0
Only if y=-2. This means that f x ( x, y )  f y ( x, y )  0
Only if (x, y)=(1, -2), and thus (1, -2) is the
only critical point of f.
Page 82
By completing the square, it is possible to check
whether the above function has a relative
extreme value at (1, -2) or not.
Solution: Clearly,
3  x 2
 2x  y 2
 4 y  3  (x 2 )  (y 2
 4 y  4)  1  4
 8  ( x  1) 2  ( y  2 ) 2

Since ( x  1) 2  0
and ( y  2 ) 2  0for
all x and y, it is
apparent that f(1,-2) =8 is a relative maximum
value of f; in fact, we can even conclude that 8
is the maximum value of f.

Page 83
Saddle point

Page 84
3. SECOND DERIVATIVES/PARTIALS TEST;
Suppose the second partial derivatives of f are
continuous on a disk with center (a, b) , and
suppose that
fx (a, b) and fy (a, b)=0 [that is, (a, b) is a critical
point of f]. Let
D  D(a, b)  f xx(a, b) f yy (a, b) [ f xy (a, b)]
2

(a)If D>0 and fxx (a, b)>0 , then f (a, b) is a local

minimum.
(b)If D>0 and fxx (a, b)<0, then f (a, b) is a local
maximum.
(c) If D<0, then f (a, b) is not a local maximum
or minimum. It is called a saddle point.
* The substitution fyy for fxx works in the above
cases Page 85
Example:
1 3
Let f ( x , y )  x 2
 2 xy  y  3 y . Using the Second
3
Partials Test, determine at which points f has
relative extreme values and at which points f has
a saddle points.
Solution: We find that
f x ( x , y )  2 x  2 y and f ( x , y )   2 x  y 2  3
y

It must be noted that f x ( x , y )  0 if x=y and

if  2 x  y 2  3. Thus (x, y) is a
critical point if
x=y and  2 x  y 2  3  0
By substituting y for we can transform the
second equation into y  2 y  3  0 .
2

Page 86
The two solutions are y=3 and y=-1.

Page 87
NOTE 1 In case (c) the point (a, b) is called a
saddle point of f and the graph of f crosses its
tangent plane at (a, b).
NOTE 2 If D=0, the test gives no information:
f could have a local maximum or local
minimum at (a, b), or (a, b) could be a saddle
point of f.
NOTE 3 To remember the formula for D it’s
helpful to write it as a determinant:

f xx f xy
D  f xx f yy  ( f xy ) 2

f yx f yy

Page 88
Page 89
4. EXTREME VALUE THEOREM FOR
FUNCTIONS OF TWO VARIABLES If
f is continuous on a closed, bounded
set D in R2, then f attains an absolute
maximum value f(x1,y1) and an
absolute minimum value f(x2,y2) at
some points (x1,y1) and (x2,y2) in D.

Page 90
5. To find the absolute maximum and
minimum values of a continuous
function f on a closed, bounded set D:
1. Find the values of f at the critical
points in D.
2. Find the extreme values of f on the
boundary of D.
3. The largest of the values from steps
1 and 2 is the absolute maximum
value; the smallest of these values is
the absolute minimum value.
Page 91
METHOD OF LAGRANGE MULTIPLIERS To find
the maximum and minimum values of f (x, y, z)
subject to the constraint g (x, y, z)=k [assuming
that these extreme values exist and ▽g≠0 on the
surface g (x, y, z)=k]:
(a) Find all values of x, y, z, and such that
f ( x, y, z)  g ( x, y, z)
and g ( x, y, z)  k
(b) Evaluate f at all the points (x, y, z) that result
from step (a). The largest of these values is the
maximum value of f; the smallest is the
minimum value of f.

Page 92
Page 93
Page 94