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What is a partial derivative?

Updated: 11/5/2022
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A partial derivative is the derivative of a function of more than one variable with respect to only one variable. When taking a partial derivative, the other variables are treated as constants. For example, the partial derivative of the function f(x,y)=2x2 + 3xy + y2 with respect to x is:
?f/?x = 4x + 3y
here we can see that y terms have been treated as constants when differentiating.

The partial derivative of f(x,y) with respect to y is:
?f/?y = 3x + 2y
and here, x terms have been treated as constants.

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What are the applications of partial derivatives in real analysis?

what are the applications of partial derivative in real analysis.


What is the difference between total differentiation and partial differentiation?

Suppose, Z is a function of X and Y. In case of Partial Differentiation of Z with respect to X, all other variables, except X are treated as constants. But, total derivative pf z is given by, dz=(partial derivative of z w.r.t x)dx + (partial derivative of z w.r.t y)dy


What is geometrical representation of partial derivatives?

The partial derivative of z=f(x,y) have a simple geometrical representation. Suppose the graph of z = f (x y) is the surface shown. Consider the partial derivative of f with respect to x at a point. Holding y constant and varying x, we trace out a curve that is the intersection of the surface with the vertical plane. The partial derivative measures the change in z per unit increase in x along this curve. Thus, it is just the slope of the curve at a value of x. The geometrical interpretation of is analogous in both types of derivatives, i.e., Ordinary and Partial Derivatives


Definition of partial differential equation with example?

A partial derivative is the derivative in respect to one dimension. You can use the rules and tricks of normal differentiation with partial derivatives if you hold the other variables as constants, but the actual definition is very similar to the definition of a normal derivative. In respect to x, it looks like: fx(x,y)=[f(x+Δx,y)-f(x,y)]/Δx and in respect to y: fy(x,y)=[f(x,y+Δy)-f(x,y)]/Δy Here's an example. take the function z=3x2+2y we want to find the partial derivative in respect to x, so we can use basic differentiation techniques if we treat y as a constant, so zx'=6x+0 because the derivative of a constant (2y in this case) is always 0. this applies to any number of dimensions. if you were finding the partial in respect to a of f(a,b,c,d,e,f,g), you would just differentiate as normal and hold b through g as constants.


Why is the partial differential equation important?

Partial differential equations are great in calculus for making multi-variable equations simpler to solve. Some problems do not have known derivatives or at least in certain levels in your studies, you don't possess the tools needed to find the derivative. So, using partial differential equations, you can break the problem up, and find the partial derivatives and integrals.

Related questions

Why do you need total derivative and partial derivative?

The partial derivative only acts on one the variables on the equations and treats the others as constant.


What are spacial derivatives?

The spacial derivative is the measure of a quantity as and how it is being changed in space. This is different from a temporal derivative and partial derivative.


What are the applications of partial derivatives in real analysis?

what are the applications of partial derivative in real analysis.


What is the difference between total differentiation and partial differentiation?

Suppose, Z is a function of X and Y. In case of Partial Differentiation of Z with respect to X, all other variables, except X are treated as constants. But, total derivative pf z is given by, dz=(partial derivative of z w.r.t x)dx + (partial derivative of z w.r.t y)dy


What is the derivative of x-y?

The partial derivative in relation to x: dz/dx=-y The partial derivative in relation to y: dz/dy= x If its a equation where a constant 'c' is set equal to the equation c = x - y, the derivative is 0 = 1 - dy/dx, so dy/dx = 1


What is the difference between partial derivative and derivative?

Say you have a function of a single variable, f(x). Then there is no ambiguity about what you are taking the derivative with respect to (it is always with respect to x). But what if I have a function of a few variables, f(x,y,z)? Now, I can take the derivative with respect to x, y, or z. These are "partial" derivatives, because we are only interested in how the function varies w.r.t. a single variable, assuming that the other variables are independent and "frozen". e.g., Question: how does f vary with respect to y? Answer: (partial f/partial y) Now, what if our function again depends on a few variables, but these variables themselves depend on time: x(t), y(t), z(t) --> f(x(t),y(t),z(t))? Again, we might ask how f varies w.r.t. one of the variables x,y,z, in which case we would use partial derivatives. If we ask how f varies with respect to t, we would do the following: df/dt = (partial f/partial x)*dx/dt + (partial f/partial y)*dy/dt + (partial f/partial z)*dz/dt df/dt is known as the "total" derivative, which essentially uses the chain rule to drop the assumption that the other variables are "frozen" while taking the derivative. This framework is especially useful in physical problems where I might want to consider spatial variations of a function (partial derivatives), as well as the total variation in time (total derivative).


What is geometrical representation of partial derivatives?

The partial derivative of z=f(x,y) have a simple geometrical representation. Suppose the graph of z = f (x y) is the surface shown. Consider the partial derivative of f with respect to x at a point. Holding y constant and varying x, we trace out a curve that is the intersection of the surface with the vertical plane. The partial derivative measures the change in z per unit increase in x along this curve. Thus, it is just the slope of the curve at a value of x. The geometrical interpretation of is analogous in both types of derivatives, i.e., Ordinary and Partial Derivatives


Since there is something called a partial derivative in calculus is there a partial integral?

Certainly. It uses the same symbol as the full integral, but you still treat the other independent variables as constants.


What are the Trim conditions in aircraft?

An aircraft is at trim when it is flying under steady-state conditions (nothing is changing and the airplane is just zipping along).More specifically, trim conditions are when Clbeta (partial derivative of the roll moment coefficient with respect to beta [sideslip angle]), Cnbeta (partial derivative of the yaw moment coefficient with respect to beta [sideslip angle]) and Cmbeta (partial derivative of the pitch moment coefficient with respect to alpha [angle of attack]) are all equal to zero.


What is the difference between the differentiation of the function and the partial differentiation of the function?

You can differentiate a function when it only contains one changing variable, like f(x) = x2. It's derivative is f'(x) = 2x. If a function contains more than one variable, like f(x,y) = x2 + y2, you can't just "find the derivative" generically because that doesn't specify what variable to take the derivative with respect to. Instead, you might "take the derivative with respect to x (treating y as a constant)" and get fx(x,y) = 2x or "take the derivative with respect to y (treating x as a constant)" and get fy(x,y) = 2y. This is a partial derivative--when you take the derivative of a function with many variable with respect to one of the variables while treating the rest as constants.


Definition of partial differential equation with example?

A partial derivative is the derivative in respect to one dimension. You can use the rules and tricks of normal differentiation with partial derivatives if you hold the other variables as constants, but the actual definition is very similar to the definition of a normal derivative. In respect to x, it looks like: fx(x,y)=[f(x+Δx,y)-f(x,y)]/Δx and in respect to y: fy(x,y)=[f(x,y+Δy)-f(x,y)]/Δy Here's an example. take the function z=3x2+2y we want to find the partial derivative in respect to x, so we can use basic differentiation techniques if we treat y as a constant, so zx'=6x+0 because the derivative of a constant (2y in this case) is always 0. this applies to any number of dimensions. if you were finding the partial in respect to a of f(a,b,c,d,e,f,g), you would just differentiate as normal and hold b through g as constants.


Why is the partial differential equation important?

Partial differential equations are great in calculus for making multi-variable equations simpler to solve. Some problems do not have known derivatives or at least in certain levels in your studies, you don't possess the tools needed to find the derivative. So, using partial differential equations, you can break the problem up, and find the partial derivatives and integrals.