Lecture 10

14.1 Functions of several variables

Jeremiah Southwick

February 13, 2019

Things to note

Exams will be passed back at end of class.

Office hours canceled today and tomorrow.

Quiz on Friday will cover today’s material.

HW04 will be posted by 11:30.

Chapter 14: Partial derivatives

Chapter 14 is all about re-doing Calculus 1 with multivariable

functions.
Chapter 14: Partial derivatives

Chapter 14 is all about re-doing Calculus 1 with multivariable

functions.

Chapter 12
Vectors
Products
Planes
Lines

Chapter 13
Vector Functions
Chapter 14: Partial derivatives

Chapter 14 is all about re-doing Calculus 1 with multivariable

functions.

Chapter 12 Chapter 14
Vectors Limits
Products (Partial) Derivatives
Planes The Gradient
Lines (Directional) Derivatives
Tangent planes
Chapter 13 Min/Max
Vector Functions
14.1 Functions of several variables

A function of several variables is a function that depends on more

than just one variable.
14.1 Functions of several variables

A function of several variables is a function that depends on more

than just one variable. They look like

z = f (x, y ) or w = f (x, y , z).

14.1 Functions of several variables

A function of several variables is a function that depends on more

than just one variable. They look like

z = f (x, y ) or w = f (x, y , z).

When z is defined as a function of x and y , we say that x and y

are independent variables and z is the dependent variable.
14.1 Functions of several variables

A function of several variables is a function that depends on more

than just one variable. They look like

z = f (x, y ) or w = f (x, y , z).

When z is defined as a function of x and y , we say that x and y

are independent variables and z is the dependent variable.
Example
f (x, y ) = x 2 + y 2 , z = sin(x + y ), g (x, y ) = e y − 5x
Domains

In the single variable case (Calculus 1 and 2), the domain of a

function was a portion of the real line.
Domains

In the single variable case (Calculus 1 and 2), the domain of a

function was a portion of the real line.
Example
1
Find the domain of f (x) = x−1 .
Domains

In the single variable case (Calculus 1 and 2), the domain of a

function was a portion of the real line.
Example
1
Find the domain of f (x) = x−1 .
We have x − 1 6= 0, so x 6= 1. Thus the domain is
(−∞, 1) ∪ (1, ∞), or {x ∈ R|x 6= 1}.
Domains
This is contrasted with the multivariable case, where the domain of
f (x, y ) is a portion of the xy -plane.
Domains
This is contrasted with the multivariable case, where the domain of
f (x, y ) is a portion of the xy -plane.
Example p
Find the domain of f (x, y ) = y − x 2.
Domains
This is contrasted with the multivariable case, where the domain of
f (x, y ) is a portion of the xy -plane.
Example p
Find the domain of f (x, y ) = y − x 2 .
We’re asking the question, “What points (x, y ) can I plug into this
function?”
Domains
This is contrasted with the multivariable case, where the domain of
f (x, y ) is a portion of the xy -plane.
Example p
Find the domain of f (x, y ) = y − x 2 .
We’re asking the question, “What points (x, y ) can I plug into this
function?”
The defining restriction for f (x, y ) is
y − x 2 ≥ 0.
This is visualized as
y

x
D = {(x, y )|y ≥ x 2 }
Domains
The previous example had a square root in it. Another common
operation with a restricted domain is the inversion function 1/x,
i.e., a function with something in its denominator.
Domains
The previous example had a square root in it. Another common
operation with a restricted domain is the inversion function 1/x,
i.e., a function with something in its denominator.
Example
1
Find the domain of the function z = xy .
Domains
The previous example had a square root in it. Another common
operation with a restricted domain is the inversion function 1/x,
i.e., a function with something in its denominator.
Example
1
Find the domain of the function z = xy .
The defining inequality is

xy 6= 0 ⇒ x 6= 0 and y 6= 0.

So all the points not on the x- or y -axes.

y

D = {(x, y )|xy 6= 0}
Domains

Question
What other functions have restricted domains?
Domains

Question
What other functions have restricted domains?

Answer
Logarithms, even roots, trig functions like tan(−) and sec(−).
Domains

Question
What other functions have restricted domains?

Answer
Logarithms, even roots, trig functions like tan(−) and sec(−).
If none of these are present, the domain is all of R2 .
Example
Find the domain of z = sin(xy ) − e x−y .
Domains

Question
What other functions have restricted domains?

Answer
Logarithms, even roots, trig functions like tan(−) and sec(−).
If none of these are present, the domain is all of R2 .
Example
Find the domain of z = sin(xy ) − e x−y .
The domain is D = R2 .
Ranges

Ranges are more familiar for multivariable functions. We ask the

question, “What z-values (i.e., heights) can be obtained from this
function?”
Ranges

Ranges are more familiar for multivariable functions. We ask the

question, “What z-values (i.e., heights) can be obtained from this
function?”
This is still a subset of the number line, so we can use interval
notation.
Ranges

Ranges are more familiar for multivariable functions. We ask the

question, “What z-values (i.e., heights) can be obtained from this
function?”
This is still a subset of the number line, so we can use interval
notation.
Example p 1
Find the range of f (x, y ) = y − x 2 and z = xy .
Ranges

Ranges are more familiar for multivariable functions. We ask the

question, “What z-values (i.e., heights) can be obtained from this
function?”
This is still a subset of the number line, so we can use interval
notation.
Example p 1
Find the range of f (x, y ) = y − x 2 and z = xy .
The range of f (x, y ) is {z ∈ R|z ≥ 0} or [0, ∞).
Ranges

Ranges are more familiar for multivariable functions. We ask the

question, “What z-values (i.e., heights) can be obtained from this
function?”
This is still a subset of the number line, so we can use interval
notation.
Example p 1
Find the range of f (x, y ) = y − x 2 and z = xy .
The range of f (x, y ) is {z ∈ R|z ≥ 0} or [0, ∞).

The range of z is (−∞, 0) ∪ (0, ∞) or {z ∈ R|z 6= 0}.

Level curves

To help ourselves graph multivariable functions, we will often

consider the level curves of a function.
Level curves

To help ourselves graph multivariable functions, we will often

consider the level curves of a function.
Definition
Let c be a real number. The set of points (x, y ) where f (x, y ) = c
is called a level curve of f .
Level curves

To help ourselves graph multivariable functions, we will often

consider the level curves of a function.
Definition
Let c be a real number. The set of points (x, y ) where f (x, y ) = c
is called a level curve of f .

Example
Let f (x, y ) = 100 − x 2 − y 2 . Find the level curves for
z = 100, z = 75, z = 51, andz = 0.
Level curve example

Example
Let f (x, y ) = 100 − x 2 − y 2 . Find the level curves for
z = 100, z = 75, z = 51, andz = 0.
Level curve example

Example
Let f (x, y ) = 100 − x 2 − y 2 . Find the level curves for
z = 100, z = 75, z = 51, andz = 0.
For z = 100, we get 100 = 100 − x 2 − y 2 , or x 2 + y 2 = 0. This
defines the point (0, 0, 100).
Level curve example

Example
Let f (x, y ) = 100 − x 2 − y 2 . Find the level curves for
z = 100, z = 75, z = 51, andz = 0.
For z = 100, we get 100 = 100 − x 2 − y 2 , or x 2 + y 2 = 0. This
defines the point (0, 0, 100).
For z = 75, we get 75 = 100 − x 2 − y 2 , or 25 = x 2 + y 2 . This
defines the circle of radius 5 centered at (0, 0, 75), lying in the
plane z = 75.
Level curve example

Example
Let f (x, y ) = 100 − x 2 − y 2 . Find the level curves for
z = 100, z = 75, z = 51, andz = 0.
For z = 100, we get 100 = 100 − x 2 − y 2 , or x 2 + y 2 = 0. This
defines the point (0, 0, 100).
For z = 75, we get 75 = 100 − x 2 − y 2 , or 25 = x 2 + y 2 . This
defines the circle of radius 5 centered at (0, 0, 75), lying in the
plane z = 75.
For z = 51, we get 51 = 100 − x 2 − y 2 , or 49 = x 2 + y 2 . This
defines the circle of radius 7 centered at (0, 0, 51), lying in the
plane z = 51.
Level curve example

Example
Let f (x, y ) = 100 − x 2 − y 2 . Find the level curves for
z = 100, z = 75, z = 51, andz = 0.
For z = 100, we get 100 = 100 − x 2 − y 2 , or x 2 + y 2 = 0. This
defines the point (0, 0, 100).
For z = 75, we get 75 = 100 − x 2 − y 2 , or 25 = x 2 + y 2 . This
defines the circle of radius 5 centered at (0, 0, 75), lying in the
plane z = 75.
For z = 51, we get 51 = 100 − x 2 − y 2 , or 49 = x 2 + y 2 . This
defines the circle of radius 7 centered at (0, 0, 51), lying in the
plane z = 51.
For z = 0, we get 0 = 100 − x 2 − y 2 , or 100 = x 2 + y 2 . This
defines the circle of radius 10 centered at (0, 0, 0), lying in the
plane z = 0.
Level curve example

We can visualize these in only the xy -plane, or in space at the

appropriate heights.
Level curve example

We can visualize these in only the xy -plane, or in space at the

appropriate heights.

y
100

z =0
z = 75 z = 51
50

z = 100 x
0
−10
0 10
5
0
−5
10−10
Full picture

The level curves allow us to visualize the whole surface.

Full picture

The level curves allow us to visualize the whole surface.

z

x y