68

Lecture 12

Partial Derivatives

1. Partial Derivatives for Two Variable Functions

Consider a function f (x, y). If we hold y = y0 , then f (x, y0 ) is a function of x
only, its derivative at x = x0 (when exists) is denoted by fx (x0 , y0 ), and called
the partial derivative of f (x, y) with respect to x at the point (x0 , y0 ).
Similarly, holding x = x0 , f (x0 , y) is a function of y only, and its derivative
(if exists) at y = y0 is denoted by fy (x0 , y0), called the partial derivative
of f (x, y) with respect to y at the point (x0 , y0 ). If (x0 , y0) is a general
point, we usually write fx (x, y) and fy (x, y) for the partial derivatives. They
are functions of x and y.
Example 1. Find fx (1, 2) and fy (1, 2), where
f (x, y) = 2x2 y + y 3 + x + 1.
Solution

f (x, 2) = 2x2 (2) + (2)3 + x + 1 = 4x2 + x + 9

fx (x, 2) = (4x2 + x + 9) = 8x + 1
fx (1, 2) = (8x + 1)|x=1 = 8 + 1 = 9.
or fx (x, y) = 4xy + 0 + 1 + 0 = 4xy + 1
fx (1, 2) = 4(1)(2) + 1 = 9
fy (x, y) = 2x2 + 3y 2 + 0 + 0 = 2x2 + 3y 2
fy (1, 2) = 2(1)2 + 3(2)2 = 14.
2
The partial derivatives have many different kinds of notations. Some of the
most often used are listed below (for z = f (x, y)).


z 
f 
=
fx (x0 , y0 ) =
x (x0 ,y0 )
x (x0 ,y0 )
f
z
fx (x, y) =
=
x  x

z 
f 
=
fy (x0 , y0 ) =
y (x0 ,y0 )
y (x0 ,y0 )
f
z
fy (x, y) =
=
.
y
y

Example 2. Find

z
, z
x y

if z = x2 sin(xy).

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Solution:
z
= 2x sin(xy) + x2 cos(xy) y
x
= 2x sin(xy) + x2 y cos(xy)
z
= x2 cos(xy)x = x3 cos(xy).
y

(product rule and chain rule)

2
It turns out that the numbers (A, B) in the definition of differentiability in
the previous lecture are exactly the partial derivatives of the function f with
respect to x and y at x0 , y0 . Indeed, for y = 0 we get
f (x0 + x, y0 ) = f (x0 , y0 ) + Ax + o(|x|),
and hence A = fx (x0 , y0 ). In a similar way we find B = fy (x0 , y0 ). We can
rewrite the definition of differentiability as
f (x0 + x, y0 ) = f (x0 , y0) + fx (x0 , y0 )x + fy (x0 , y0 )y + o(||r||).
2. Higher-Order Partial Derivatives
For a given function f (x, y), f
and f
are functions of x and y, each can have
x
y
partial derivatives. We define
 
 
2f
2f
f
f
,
=
=
x2
x x
y 2
y y

2f
=
xy
x

f
y

2f

,
=
yx
y

f
x

.
2

These are called the second-order partial derivatives. Moreover, xf2 and
2f
are called the pure second-order partial derivatives as they are oby 2
tained by differentiation with respect to the same variable twice.
2f
yx

2f
xy

and

are called the mixed second order partial derivatives.

In this context,

f
x

and

f
y

are called the first-order partial derivatives.

We define third-order partial derivatives as the partial derivatives of the secondorder partial derivatives, and so on. For example, we have

 2 

3f
f
2f

3f
,
,
=
=
x3
x x2
y 2 x
y yx
4f

=
4
x
x

3f
x3

4f

,
=
2
x yx
x

3f
y 2 x

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Higher-order partial derivatives also have different notations. For example,
2f
2f
4f
4f
=
f
,
=
f
,
f
=
=
.
xx
yx xxyy
x2
xy
yyxx
y 2 x2
 
2f

, we have fyx = (fy )x . That is why we have

Note that while xy = x f
y
2f
xy

= fyx (note the difference in the order for x and y in the notation).

Example 3. Let f (x, y) = ex sin y + ln x. Find fxyx .

Solution
x
1
(e sin y + ln x) = ex sin y + .
x
x
x
1

(fx ) =
(e sin y + ) = ex cos y
= (fx )y =
y
y
x
x

(fxy ) =
(e cos y) = ex cos y.
= (fxy )x =
x
x

fx =
fxy
fxyx

2.
3. Partial Derivatives of Functions of More Than Two Variables
For functions of more than two variables, the partial derivatives and higherorder partial derivatives are defined analogously.
For example,
f
= fx (x, y, z) is calculated by holding y and z
x
f
= fxi (x1 , . . . , xn ) is calculated by holding all
xi

fixed.
the variables except xi fixed.

Example 4. Let f (x, y, z) = x2 yz + yz + x. Find fxyy .

Solution:
fx = 2xyz + 1,

fxy =

fxyy =

(2xyz + 1) = 2xz,
y

(2xz) = 0.
y
2

Example 5. Find

3z

where z = 2 cos sin

Solution:
z
= 2 cos sin

2z
=
(2 cos sin ) = 2 sin sin

3z

=
(2 sin sin ) = 2 sin cos

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Example 6. Find

x1

p


x21 + x22 + + x2n and

xi

p

2


x21 + x22 + + x2n .

Solution

q
1
1 2

2
2
2
=
x1 + x2 + + xn
(x1 + x22 + + x2n ) 2 2x1 (chain rule)
x1
2
x1
= p 2
x1 + x22 + + x2n
q

1
1 2

(x1 + x22 + + x2n ) 2 2xi (chain rule)

x21 + x22 + + x2n
=
xi
2
xi
= p 2
x1 + x22 + . . . x2n

The following theorem shows that we can use information on the partial derivatives fx (x, y) and fy (x, y) to determine the differentiability of f (x, y).
Theorem 1. If fx (x, y), fy (x, y) exist for (x, y) in some circular region centered at
(x0 , y0), and fx (x, y), fy (x, y) are continuous at (x0 , y0), then f (x, y) is differentiable
at (x0 , y0).
Proof. We want to show
f (x0 + x, y0 + y) f (x0 , y0) fx (x0 , y0 )x fy (x0 , y0 )y
p
=0
(x,y)(0,0)
x2 + y 2
lim

Denoting the fraction above by I, we want to find a function g(x, y) such that
|I| g(x, y) and

lim

(x,y)(0,0)

g(x, y) = 0

By the squeezing method, the existence of such a function g implies

lim

(x,y)(0,0)

I = 0,

as required.
To use the given information about the partial derivatives, we write
f (x0 + x, y0 + y) f (x0 , y0)
= [f (x0 + x, y0 + y) f (x0 , +x, y0 )] + [f (x0 + x, y0 ) f (x0 , y0)],
and use the mean-value theorem to obtain
f (x0 + x, y0 + y) f (x0 + x, y0 ) = fy (x0 + x, y0 + 1 y) y, 0 < 1 < 1
f (x0 + x, y0 ) f (x0 , y0 ) = fx (x0 + 2 x, y0 )x, 0 < 2 < 1.

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Thus
f (x0 + x, y0 + y) f (x0 , y0 )
= fy (x0 + x, y0 + 1 y)y + fx (x0 + 2 x, y0 )x.
Substituting this into the expression of I, we obtain
[fx (x0 + 2 x, y0 ) fx (x0 , y0 )]x + [fy (x0 + x, y0 + 1 y) fy (x0 , y0 )]y
p
x2 + y 2
x
= [fx (x0 + 2 x, y0 ) fx (x0 , y0 )] p
x2 + y 2
y
+[fy (x0 + x, y0 + 1 y) fy (x0 , y0)] p
x2 + y 2




|x|
|x|
|x|
x


=p

=
= 1, and similarly
Since  p

 x2 + y 2 
|x|
x2 + y 2
x2
I =





y


p 2
 1,
 x + y 2 

we obtain





x


|I| |fx (x0 + 2 x, y0 ) fx (x0 , y0 )|  p

 x2 + y 2 




y


+ |fy (x0 + x, y0 + 1 y) fy (x0 , y0)|  p

 x2 + y 2 

|fx (x0 + 2 x, y0 ) fx (x0 , y0 )| + |fy (x0 + x, y0 + 1 y) fy (x0 , y0)| .

Let us choose g(x, y) to be the right hand side of this last inequality. Since
fx (x, y) and fy (x, y) are continuous at (x0 , y0 ), as (x, y) (x0 , y0 ),
fx (x, y) fx (x0 , y0 ) 0, fy (x, y) fy (x0 , y0 ) 0.
But from 0 < 1 < 1, 0 < 2 < 1 we know that as (x, y) (0, 0),
(x0 + 2 x, y0 ) (x0 , y0 ), (x0 + x, y0 + 1 y) (x0 , y0 ).
Therefore, as (x, y) (0, 0),
|fx (x0 + 2 x, y0 ) fx (x0 , y0 )| 0

|fy (x0 + x, y0 + 1 y) fy (x0 , y0 )| 0

It follows that
lim

(x,y)(0,0)

g(x, y) = 0.

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As we already have, by the definition of g(x, y),
|I| g(x, y),
the squeezing method implies
lim

(x,y)(0,0)

I = 0.

This finishes the proof.

In addition to guaranteeing differentiability and continuity of f (x, y), continuity

of the partial derivatives also ensures that the mixed second-order partial derivatives
of f are equal. This is the content of the following theorem, whose proof we omit.
Theorem 2. If fx (x, y), fy (x, y), fxy (x, y) and fyx (x, y) are continuous on an open
set, then fxy (x, y) = fyx (x, y) at each point of the set.
For most of the functions we meet, their partial derivatives are continuous.
Therefore the mixed partial derivatives are equal. Applying Theorem 3, say to
fx , we can deduce fxxy = fxyx , etc, provided the continuity conditions are met.
Example 2. For f (x, y) = ex (x2 +xy), check that fxy = fyx and fxyy = fyyx = fyxy .
Solution:

fx = ex (x2 + xy) + ex (2x + y) = ex (x2 + 2x + xy + y)

fxy = ex (x + 1)
fxyy = 0
fy = ex x
fyy = 0
fyyx = 0
x
fyx =
(e x) = ex x + ex = ex (x + 1)
x
x
(e x + ex ) = 0.
fyxy =
y

Hence
fxyy = fyyx = fyxy = 0,
fxy = fyx = ex (x + 1).
2.