Partial Derivatives

University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Calculus-Based General Physics Instructional Materials in Physics and Astronomy
1-1-1975
Partial Derivatives
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"Partial Derivatives" (1975). Calculus-Based General Physics. Paper 36.

http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/calculusbasedphysics/36
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REVIEW MODULE 1
PARTIAL DERIVATIVES
Can you evaluate partial derivatives of functions of more than one variable?
Try the following self-check test. If you get all the answers correct you should
be able to handle the material in this course involving partial derivatives. If
not, read the material that follows the test.
SELF-CHECK TEST
1. Suppose y is a function of the independent variables x and t:
y(x, t) = x2 + t + axt 2 ,
where a is a constant. Determine the expression for
(a) ay/ax;
(b) ay/at;
(c) a2y/at 2.
(d) If a = 3, evaluate y at (x, t) = (2, 5).
(e) If a = 3, evaluate ay/at at (x, t) = (4, 2).
2. Try another function y of the independent variables x and t:
y = A sin(wt - kx).
If the constants are A = 3, w = 2, k = TI, evaluate:
(a) y at (x, t) = (3/2, 3TI/2);
(b) ay/at at (x, t) = (-5/2, 3TI/4);
(c) a2y/at 2 at (x, t) = (1/2, -TI/8).
Answers are at the bottom of this page. If you did not get them right, continue
reading in this review module.
At the end of this review we shall provide a more rigorous definition of a
partial derivative, but go ahead and read straight through to get a feeling for
what you need to do from an operational standpoint.
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REVIEW MODULE: Partial Derivatives 2
If we have a function of more than one independent variable, than we can define
a partial derivative with respect to one of the variables, which is simply the
derivative of the function with all the other variables fixed, The notation using
a, which we will use below, tells you it is a partial derivative, For example,
suppose we have the function y that depends on the independent variables x and t:
y = A sin(kx - wt),
where A, k, and ware constants, Then, lithe partial derivative of y with respect
( to is denoted by ay/ax and is found by setting t constant and differentiating
Xii
with respect to x:
ay/ax = kA cos(kx - wt),
Similarly, lithe partial derivative of y with respect to til is denoted by ay/at
and is found by setting x constant and differentiating with respect to t:
ay/at = -wA cos(kx - wt),
Note that the value of either of the partial derivatives depends on both independent
variables x and t as well as the constants A, k, and w,
Here are some Exercises to practice on (answers at bottom of page):
Exercises
1. If y(x, t) = x2 + 4x 3t + 5t 4 , determine the expression for the following partial
derivatives and their values at (x, t) = (4, 3):
(a) ay/ax;
(b) ely/at;
2 2
(c) a y/at = (a/at)(ay/at) (i,e., perform the partial derivative with respect
to t two times in succession).
2. If y(x, t) = A cos[k(x - ct) - ], determine the expression for the following
partial derivatives.
(a) ay/ax;
(b) ay/at;
(c) a2y/ax at = (a/ax)(ay/at) (i,e" perform the partial derivative with
respect to t followed by the partial derivative with respect to x),
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REVIEW MODULE: Partial Derivatives 3
As promised, here is a more formal definition of a partial derivative of a function

of more than one independent variable:
Suppose that we have a function y that depends on the independent variables xl'
x2 ' x3 ' etc. We can write it as y(x l ' x2 ' x3 ' ... ). The "partial derivative
( of y with respect to xl" is then denoted by ay/ax l and is defined by the expression
~ = lim y(x l + b.X, x2 ' x3 ' ... ) - y(x l ' x2 ' x3 ' ... )
aX l - 6X ~ 0 6x
Si mil arly,
As you can see, this is the same sort of limit used to define the derivative of
a function of only one variable, the difference being that the function and its
partial derivatives are functions of more than one variable. You should consult
a calculus textbook for more details.

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/calculusbasedphysics

"Partial Derivatives" (1975). Calculus-Based General Physics. Paper 36.

(+J - x)~JSOJ VJ2~ (J)

As promised, here is a more formal definition of a partial derivative of a function

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