Calculus 10th Edition

Published by Brooks Cole
ISBN 10: 1-28505-709-0
ISBN 13: 978-1-28505-709-5

Chapter 13 - Functions of Several Variables - 13.2 Exercises - Page 888: 67

Answer

(a) $$\lim_{\Delta x\to0} \frac{f(x+\Delta x,y)-f(x,y)}{\Delta x}=3+y.$$ (b) $$\lim_{\Delta y\to 0}\frac{f(x,y+\Delta y)-f(x,y)}{\Delta y} = x-2.$$

Work Step by Step

We have $$f(x+\Delta x,y)=3(x+\Delta x)+(x+\Delta x)y-2y=3x+3\Delta x+xy+\Delta xy-2y=3x+xy-2y+3\Delta x+\Delta xy.$$ and $$f(x,y+\Delta y)=3x+x(y+\Delta y)-2(y+\Delta y)=3x+xy-2y+x\Delta y-2\Delta y.$$ (a) $$\lim_{\Delta x\to0} \frac{f(x+\Delta x,y)-f(x,y)}{\Delta x} = \lim_{\Delta x\to0}\frac{3x+xy-2y+3\Delta x+\Delta xy-(3x+xy-2y)}{\Delta x} = \lim_{\Delta x\to0}\frac{3\Delta x+\Delta xy}{\Delta x} = \lim_{\Delta x\to0} (3+y) = 3+y,$$ where in the last step we used that the limit of the constant is that constant itself (any expression containing only $y$ is treated as a constant.) (b) $$\lim_{\Delta y\to 0}\frac{f(x,y+\Delta y)-f(x,y)}{\Delta y}=\lim_{\Delta y\to 0}\frac{3x+xy-2y+x\Delta y-2\Delta y-(3x+xy-2y)}{\Delta y} = \lim_{\Delta y\to 0}\frac{x\Delta y-2\Delta y}{\Delta y} = \lim_{\Delta y\to 0}(x-2) = x-2$$ where in the last step we used that the limit of the constant is that constant itself (any expression containing only $x$ is treated as a constant.)
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