Understanding Multivariable Taylor Expansions with Vector Components

roeb
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Homework Statement


I'm having a hard time following a taylor expansion that contains vectors...

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/9656/blahz.png
http://g.imageshack.us/img9/blahz.png/1/

Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution



Here's how I would expand it:

-GMR/R^3 - GMr/R^3 + 3GMR/R^5*(R + r) + 3GMR/R^5(r + R)
So you take d/dR(R^2 + r^2 + 2r dot R)^5/2 and then take d/dr ?
I am basing my knowledge of multidimensional expansions off of what wikipedia is telling me, but I can't quite see how that r dot R term comes about

Anyone have any ideas?
 
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Hi roeb! :smile:

Hint: the denominator is Re3(1 + 2Re.r/Re2 + o(r2))3/2 :wink:
 
There are two things I don't understand about this problem. First, when finding the nth root of a number, there should in theory be n solutions. However, the formula produces n+1 roots. Here is how. The first root is simply ##\left(r\right)^{\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)}##. Then you multiply this first root by n additional expressions given by the formula, as you go through k=0,1,...n-1. So you end up with n+1 roots, which cannot be correct. Let me illustrate what I mean. For this...
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