SOUTH ASIAN UNIVERSITY

MTH101: Advanced Calculus

Tutorial 3 (2025-26) Topics: partial derivatives, directional derivatives, differentiability,
chain rule, local extrema

1. Find the first order partial derivatives with respect to each variable.
(a) f (x, y) = (xy − 1)2
(b) f (x, y) = tan−1 (y/x)
(c) f (x, y) = e−x sin(x + y)
(d) f (x, y) = ln(x + y)
(e) f (x, y) = exy ln y
p
(f) f (x, y, z) = x2 + y 2 + z 2
(g) f (x, y, z) = sin−1 (xyz)
2
+y 2 +z 2 )
(h) f (x, y, z) = e−(x
(i) f (x, y, z) = e−xyz
(j) g(u, v) = v 2 e2u/v
(k) h(ρ, φ, θ) = ρ sin φ cos θ
(l) f (t, α) = cos(2πt − α)
(m) g(r, θ, z) = r(1 − cos θ) − z
2. Find the second order partial derivatives of the following functions
(a) f (x, y) = x + y + xy
(b) f (x, y) = sin(xy)
(c) h(x, y) = xey + y + 1
(d) s(x, y) = tan−1 (y/x)
(e) r(x, y) = ln(x + y)
3. Verify that fxy = fyx
(a) f (x, y) = ex + x ln y + y ln x
(b) f (x, y) = xy 2 + x2 y 3 + x3 y 4
4. Equation f (x, y) = 0 defines y as a function of x implicitly. What do you understand by this
statement? Does it mean you can always express y in terms of x?
5. Find the value of ∂z/∂x at the point (1, 1, 1) if the equation xy + z 3 x − 2yz = 0 defines z implicitly
as a function of the two independent variables x and y.
6. Find the value of ∂x/∂z at the point (1, −1, −3) if the equation xz + y ln x − x2 + 4 = 0 defines x
implicitly as a function of the two independent variables y and z.
7. In the following exercises find the derivative by using the Chain Rule and evaluate the derivative
at the given point.
dw
(a) w = x2 + y 2 , dt , x = cos t, y = sin t; t = π
2 2
(b) w = x + y x = cos t + sin t, y = cos t − sin t; t = 0
y
(c) w = x
z + z x = cos2 t y = sin2 t z = 1/t t = 3.
(d) w = 2yex − ln z, x = ln(t2 + 1) y = tan−1 t. z = et ; t = 1
∂ ∂
8. For the following functions find the partial derivatives ∂u and ∂v as functions of u and v by using
the Chain Rule and also evaluate the partial derivatives at the given point.
(a) z = 4ex ln y, x = ln(u cos v), y = u sin v, (u, v) = (2, π/4)

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 (b) z = tan−1 (x/y), x = u cos v, y = u sin v, (u, v) = (1.3, π/6)
(c) w = ln(x2 + y 2 + z 2 ), x = uev sin u, y = uev cos u, z = uev ; (u, v) = (−2, 0)
9. Express the partial derivatives ∂u ∂u ∂u
∂x , ∂y and ∂z as functions of x, y and z by using the Chain Rule
and also evaluate the partial derivatives at the given point.
√
(a) u = p−q
q−r p = x + y + z, q = x − y + z r = x + y − z; (x, y, z) = ( 3, 2, 1)

(b) u = eqr sin−1 p p = sin x, q = z 2 ln y, r = 1/z; (x, y, z) = (π/4, 1/2, −1/2)

10. In the following exercises write a Chain Rule formula for each derivative.
(a) wu and wv for w = h(x, y, z), x = f (u, v) y = g(u, v), z = k(u, v)
(b) wu and wv for w = g(x, y), x = h(u, v), y = k(u, v)
(c) wx and wy for w = g(u, v), u = h(x, y) v = k(x, y)
(d) yr for y = f (u), u = g(r, s)
(e) wp for w = f (x, y, z, v), x = g(p, q) y = h(p, q), z = j(p, q), v = k(p, q)
(f) wr and ws for w = f (x, y), x = g(r), y = h(s)
(g) ws for w = g(x, y), x = h(r, s, t), y = k(r, s, t)
11. Suppose w = f (x, y) is a differentiable function. Suppose that we substitute polar co-ordinates
x = r cos θ and y = r sin θ.
∂w 1 ∂w
(a) Show that ∂r = fx cos θ + fy sin θ and r ∂θ = −fx sin θ + fy cos θ.
(b) Solve equations in part (a) to express fx and fy in terms of ∂w/∂r and ∂w/∂θ

2
2
(c) Show that (fx )2 + (fy )2 = ∂w
∂r + r12 ∂w
∂θ .
12. Suppose w = f (u, v) satisfies the Laplace equation fuu + fvv = 0. Prove that:
(a) If u = (x2 − y 2 )/2 and v = xy then w satisfies the Laplace equation wxx + wyy = 0
(b) If u = ex cos y and v = ex sin y, then w satisfies the Laplace equation wxx + wyy = 0
13. Let w = x2 e2y cos 3z Find the value of dw/dt at the point (1, ln 2, 0) on the curve x = cos t
y = ln(t + 2), z = t.
14. Find the gradient of the function at the given point.
(a) f (x, y) = y − x, (2, 1)
(b) f (x, y) = ln(x2 + y 2 ), (1, 1)
(c) f (x, y) = y − x2 , (−1, 0)
2 2 √
(d) f (x, y) = x2 − y2 , ( 2, 1)
15. Find the directions in which the functions increase and decrease most rapidly at P0 and also find
the directional derivatives of the functions in these directions.
(a) f (x, y) = x2 + xy + y 2 , P0 (−1, 1)
(b) f (x, y) = x2 y + exy sin y, P0 (1, 0)
(c) f (x, y, z) = xey + z 2 P0 (1, ln 2, 1/2)
x
(d) f (x, y, z) = y − yz, P0 (4, 1, 1)

16. Find the gradient to the surface f (x, y) = 0 at the specified point on the surface.
√ √
(a) x2 + y 2 = 4, ( 2, 2)
√
(b) x2 − y = 1, ( 2, 1)
(c) xy = −4, (2, −2)
(d) x2 − xy + y 2 = 7, (−1, 2)
17. In what direction is the directional derivative of f (x, y) = xy + y 2 at P (3, 2) equal to zero?

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18. Is there a direction u in which the rate of change of the temperature function T (x, y, z) = 2xy − yz
(temperature in degrees Celcius, distance in feet) at P (1, −1, 1) is −3◦ C/ft? Give reason for your
answer.
19. The lengths a, b and c of the edges of a closed rectangular box are changing with time. At the
instant in question a = 1m, b = 2m, c = 3m, da db dc
dt = 1m/sec, dt = 1m/sec dt = −3m/sec. At
what rates are the box’s volume V and surface area S changing at that instant? Are the box’s
interior diagonals increasing or decreasing in length?
20. Show that for the following function ∇f (0, 0) exist however function f is not differentiable at (0, 0).
(
xy
2 2 (x, y) 6= (0, 0)
f (x, y) = x +y
0 (x, y) = (0, 0)

21. For f (x, y) = |x| + |y|, find ∇f (0, 0) if exist. Is f continuous at (0, 0)?
22. Show that for the following function ∇f (0, 0) exist however function f is not differentiable at (0, 0).
(
0 xy 6= 0
f (x, y) =
1 xy = 0

23. Show that for the function

(x2 −y 2 )
(
xy x2 +y 2 , (x, y) 6= (0, 0)
f (x, y) =
0 (x, y) = (0, 0)

∂2f ∂2f
(0, 0) 6= (0, 0).
∂x∂y ∂y∂x
24. Find all the local maxima, local minima and saddle points of the functions in the following
exercises.
(a) f (x, y) = x2 + xy + y 2 + 3x − 3y + 4
(b) f (x, y) = y sin x
(c) f (x, y) = x3 + 3xy + y 3
(d) f (x, y) = e2x cos y
(e) f (x, y, z) = x2 − xy + y 2 + yz + z 2 − 2z
(f) f (x, y, z, w) = x2 + y 2 + z 2 − w2 + xy + zw

25. Let f (x, y) be a function such that the first partial derivatives exist at (a, b). State true or false
and justify your answers.
(a) If fx (a, b) = fy (a, b) = 0 then f (x, y) has local extreme value at (a, b).
(b) If f (x, y) has local maximum or minimum at (a, b) then fx (a, b) = fy (a, b) = 0.

26. Maximize the f (x, y, z) = xyz subject to the constraints x + y + z = 40 and x + y = z.

27. Minimize f (x, y, z) = x2 + y 2 + z 2 subject to the constraints x + 2y + 3z = 6 and x + 3y + 4z = 9.
28. Maximize the f (x, y, z) = x2 yz + 1 subject to the constraints z = 1 and x2 + y 2 + z 2 = 10.
29. Minimize the f (x, y, z) = x2 yz 3 subject to the constraints 2x + y + 3z = 3.

30. Find the largest product the positive numbers x, y, z can have if x + y + z 2 = 16.