Lecture

Differentiability and Tangent Planes in Multivariable Functions

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In course

MATH-106(b): Analysis II

Étudier les concepts fondamentaux d'analyse et le calcul différentiel et intégral des fonctions réelles de plusieurs variables. ...

Description

This lecture discusses the concept of differentiability in multivariable functions and the existence of tangent planes. It begins by establishing the conditions under which a function is differentiable, specifically focusing on the relationship between differentiability and the existence of a non-vertical tangent plane at a point on the graph of the function. The instructor illustrates this with examples, emphasizing the geometric interpretation of tangent planes and the angles involved. The lecture further explores the implications of the implicit function theorem, demonstrating how to derive the equation of the tangent plane for surfaces defined by level sets. The discussion includes practical applications, such as the creation of parabolas, and highlights the importance of gradients in determining the behavior of functions near critical points. Throughout the lecture, the instructor provides detailed explanations and visual aids to clarify complex concepts, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the material.

Instructors (2)

Boris Buffoni

Research activityResearch ResearchCurrent Research Fields https://sma.epfl.ch/~buffoni/home.html Teaching & PhD Courses Analysis II MATH-106(b) The course studies fundamental concepts of analysis and the calculus of functions of several variables. Evolutional partial differential equations MATH-421 Fundamental techniques and theories for partial differential equations of evolution. Application to basic examples: first-order equations, wave equation, heat equation. The Cauchy

Thomas Mountford

Teaching & PhD Past EPFL PhD Students Damien Gauthier, Samir Brahim Belhaouari, Driss Baraka, Daniel Rodrigues Valesin, Samuel Schöpfer, Kamran Kalbasi, Jacques Saliba, Hao Xue, Keming Chen Past EPFL PhD Students as codirector Guillaume Charles Woessner Courses Analysis I MATH-101(d) Study the fundamental concepts of analysis, and the differential and integral calculus of real-valued functions of one real variable. Markov chains MATH-332 The course follows the text of Norris

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Mathematics

Analysis: Calculus

Related concepts (32)

Multivariable calculus

Multivariable calculus (also known as multivariate calculus) is the extension of calculus in one variable to calculus with functions of several variables: the differentiation and integration of functions involving multiple variables (multivariate), rather than just one. Multivariable calculus may be thought of as an elementary part of advanced calculus. For advanced calculus, see calculus on Euclidean space. The special case of calculus in three dimensional space is often called vector calculus.

Vector calculus

Vector calculus, or vector analysis, is concerned with differentiation and integration of vector fields, primarily in 3-dimensional Euclidean space The term "vector calculus" is sometimes used as a synonym for the broader subject of multivariable calculus, which spans vector calculus as well as partial differentiation and multiple integration. Vector calculus plays an important role in differential geometry and in the study of partial differential equations.

Partial derivative

In mathematics, a partial derivative of a function of several variables is its derivative with respect to one of those variables, with the others held constant (as opposed to the total derivative, in which all variables are allowed to vary). Partial derivatives are used in vector calculus and differential geometry. The partial derivative of a function with respect to the variable is variously denoted by It can be thought of as the rate of change of the function in the -direction.

Mathematical analysis

Analysis is the branch of mathematics dealing with continuous functions, limits, and related theories, such as differentiation, integration, measure, infinite sequences, series, and analytic functions. These theories are usually studied in the context of real and complex numbers and functions. Analysis evolved from calculus, which involves the elementary concepts and techniques of analysis. Analysis may be distinguished from geometry; however, it can be applied to any space of mathematical objects that has a definition of nearness (a topological space) or specific distances between objects (a metric space).

Derivative

In mathematics, the derivative shows the sensitivity of change of a function's output with respect to the input. Derivatives are a fundamental tool of calculus. For example, the derivative of the position of a moving object with respect to time is the object's velocity: this measures how quickly the position of the object changes when time advances. The derivative of a function of a single variable at a chosen input value, when it exists, is the slope of the tangent line to the graph of the function at that point.

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