- #1
BucketOfFish
- 60
- 1
If you have a function
[tex]f(x,y)=xy[/tex]
where y is a function of x, say
[tex]y=x^2[/tex]
then the partial derivative of f with respect to x is
[tex]\frac{\partial f}{\partial x}=y[/tex]
However, if you substitute in y and express f as
[tex]f(x)=x^3[/tex]
then the partial derivative is
[tex]\frac{\partial f}{\partial x}=3x^2=3y[/tex]
despite the fact that these expressions for f are equivalent! What does it mean to change one variable (x) while holding another variable constant (y) even though it is a function of the first variable? Does this mean that if you choose different ways of expressing a system, you will end up with different partial derivatives? What influence does this have on solving such systems?
[tex]f(x,y)=xy[/tex]
where y is a function of x, say
[tex]y=x^2[/tex]
then the partial derivative of f with respect to x is
[tex]\frac{\partial f}{\partial x}=y[/tex]
However, if you substitute in y and express f as
[tex]f(x)=x^3[/tex]
then the partial derivative is
[tex]\frac{\partial f}{\partial x}=3x^2=3y[/tex]
despite the fact that these expressions for f are equivalent! What does it mean to change one variable (x) while holding another variable constant (y) even though it is a function of the first variable? Does this mean that if you choose different ways of expressing a system, you will end up with different partial derivatives? What influence does this have on solving such systems?