How do you take the partial derivative of this monster?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the first and second partial derivatives of the function e^{10x - x^2 + 4y - y^2}. The key insight is to rewrite the expression as e^{f(x,y)}, allowing the application of the chain rule for differentiation. Specifically, the partial derivative with respect to x can be computed by taking the derivative of e^{f(x,y)} while treating y as a constant. This method simplifies the process and ensures accurate results.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of partial derivatives
  • Familiarity with the chain rule in calculus
  • Knowledge of exponential functions
  • Basic skills in symbolic differentiation
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the application of the chain rule in multivariable calculus
  • Learn how to compute partial derivatives of exponential functions
  • Explore the concept of mixed partial derivatives
  • Practice problems involving differentiation of functions with multiple variables
USEFUL FOR

Students and professionals in mathematics, engineering, and physics who need to understand multivariable calculus and differentiation techniques.

Raziel2701
Messages
128
Reaction score
0
[tex]e^{10x -x^2 +4y -y^2}[/tex]

I don't know where to start. I have a gut feeling this might require the chain rule, but I don't know how to use it on this thing. I tried doing some silly simplification which resulted in a pair of quotients and products of exponentials and tried to derive those using the quotient rule but it didn't work.

In any case, I need to find the first and second partial derivatives. How do I go about finding them?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Hey Raziel,

Try rewriting a more general (and less messy expression) like:

[tex]e^{10x -x^2 +4y -y^2} = e^{f(x,y)}[/tex]

Taking the partial derivative (w.l.o.g. with respect to x) of the above expression is just taking the derivative of the expression with respect to x while holding y constant. In other words, what is,

[tex]\frac{d}{dx}e^{f(x)}\mathrm{?}[/tex]

If you know this piece of information, then you should be able to evaluate,

[tex]\frac{\partial}{\partial x}e^{f(x,y)},[/tex]

since they follow the same evaluation process.
 
Got it, thanks.
 

Similar threads

Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
  • · Replies 24 ·
Replies
24
Views
3K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
5
Views
4K