Can the 2nd Order Partial Derivative of a Function be Evaluated at (0,0)?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on evaluating the second-order partial derivatives of the function f: R² → R, defined as f(x,y) = 0 at (0,0) and f(x,y) = xy(x²-y²)/(x²+y²) otherwise. The participants highlight the challenge of directly substituting (0,0) into the derived expressions for DxDyf(x,y) and Dy,Dxf(x,y), which results in an indeterminate form 0/0. It is concluded that to find the second-order partial derivatives at (0,0), one must utilize the limit definition of the derivative, as the function is differentiable everywhere except at that point.

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  • Familiarity with limits and continuity in calculus
  • Knowledge of the product rule for differentiation
  • Basic concepts of differentiability in multivariable functions
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  • Study the limit definition of derivatives in multivariable calculus
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This is supposed to be year1 calculus question but I can't answer it.
If f:R_2-->R is 0 if (x,y)=(0,0) and xy(x_2-y_2)/(x_2+y_2) otherwise then evaluate 2nd order partial derivative DxDyf(0,0) and Dy,Dxf(0,0)
The thing is, I get some complicated looking expression for DxDyf(x,y) and I can't simply put x=0 and y=0 in that expression right? because it gives 0/0... What am I misunderstanding here?
 
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or is it that DxDyf(0,0) is simply zero because at (0,0) the function is 0?
 
The derivative is defined for all (x,y) except (0,0), and its derivative at these points is just what you probably found (using the product rule, etc). If the function is differentiable, then its derivative is continuous, and so you can find the derivative at (0,0) by taking the limit. If not, then the derivative at (0,0) is undefined. If you need to be rigorous, you'll need to go back to the definition of the derivative in terms of limits.
 

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