1/23/2017 PPLATO| BasicMathematics| Gradientsanddirectionalderivatives

GradientsandDirectional
Derivatives

PPLATO/BasicMathematics
Authors:RHoran&M PPLATO@
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1.Introduction(Vectors)
ThebasevectorsintwodimensionalCartesiancoordinatesaretheunitvectoriinthepositivedirectionofthexaxisandthe
unitvectorjintheydirection(seefigurebottomleft).Inthreedimensionswealsorequirek,theunitvectorinthezdirection.

ThepositionvectorofapointP(x,y)intwodimensionsisxi+yj.Wewilloftendenotethisimportantvectorbyr(seefigure
bottomright).Inthreedimensionsthepositionvectorisr=xi+yj+zk.

Thevectordifferentialoperator,called'del'or'nabla',isdefinedinthreedimensionstobe:

=/xi+/yj+/zk

notethatthesearepartialderivatives!

Thisvectoroperatormaybeappliedto(differentiable)scalarfunctions(scalarfields)andtheresultisaspecialcaseofavector
field,calledagradientvectorfield.

Herearetwowarmingupexercisesonpartialdifferentiation:

Quiz1:Selectthefollowingpartialderivative:/z(xyzx):

(a)x2yzx1

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(b)0
(c)xylogx(z)
(d)yzx1

Quiz2:Choosethefollowingpartialderivative/x(xcos(y)+y):

(a)cos(y)
(b)cos(y)xsin(y)+1
(c)cos(y)+xsin(y)+1
(d)sin(y)

2.Gradient(Grad)
Thegradientofafunction,(x,y),intwodimensionsisdefinedas:

grad(x,y)=(x,y)=/xi+/yj

Thegradientofafunctionisavectorfield.Itisobtainedbyapplyingthevectoroperatortothescalarfunction(x,y).Such
avectorfieldiscalledagradient(orconservative)vectorfield.

GradientsandDirectionalDerivatives
Example1:Thegradientofthefunction(x,y)=x+y2isgivenby:

(x,y)=/xi+/yj
1.Introduction
/x(x+y )i+/y(x+y2)j
= 2
=(1+0)i+(0+2y)j
2.Gradient(Grad)
=i+2yj

Quiz3:Choosethegradientof(x,y)=x2y3:
3.DirectionalDerivatives
(a)2xi+3y2j
4.QuizonGradientsandDirectionalDerivatives
(b)x2i+y3j
(c)2xy3i+3x2y2j
(d)y3i+x2j

Thedefinitionofthegradientmaybeextendedtofunctionsdefinedinthreedimensions(x,y,z):

(x,y,z)=/xi+/yj+/zk

Exercise1:Calculatethegradientofthefollowingfunctions:

(a)(x,y)=x+3y2
(b)(x,y)=x2+y2
(c)(x,y,z)=3x2y+cos(3z)
(d)(x,y,z)=1/x2+y2+z2
(e)(x,y)4y/(x2+1)
(f)(x,y,z)=sin(x)eyln(z)

3.DirectionalDerivatives
Tointerpretthegradientofascalarfield

(x,y,z)=/xi+/yj+/zk

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wenotethatitscomponentintheidirectionisthepartialderivativeofwithrespecttox.Thisistherateofchangeofinthe
xdirectionsinceyandzarekeptconstant.Ingeneral,thecomponentofinanydirectionistherateofchangeofinthat
direction.

Example2:Considerthescalarfield(x,y)=3x+3intwodimensions.Ithasnoydependenceanditislinearinx.Its
gradientisgivenby:

=/x(3x+3)i+/y(3x+3)j
=3i+0j

Aswouldbeexpectedthegradienthaszerocomponentintheydirectionanditscomponentinthexdirectionisconstant(3).

Quiz4:Selectapointfromtheanswersbelowatwhichthescalarfield(x,y,z)=x2yzxy2zdecreasesintheydirection.

(a)(1,1,2)
(b)(1,1,1)
(c)(1,1,2)
(d)(1,0,1)
Definition:if isaunitvector,then iscalledthedirectionalderivativeofinthe
direction .Thedirectionalderivativeistherateofchangeofinthedirection .

GradientsandDirectionalDerivatives
Example3:Findthedirectionalderivativeof(x,y,z)=x2yzinthedirection4i3katthepoint(1,1,1).

Solution:Thevector4i3khasmagnitude42+(3)2=25=5.Theunitvectorinthedirection4i3kisthus1/5(4i3k).
1.Introduction
Thegradientofis:
2.Gradient(Grad)
=/x(x2yz)i+/y(x2yz)j+/z(x2yz)k
=2xyzi+x2zj+x2yk
3.DirectionalDerivatives

andsotherequireddirectionalderivativeis:
4.QuizonGradientsandDirectionalDerivatives
2 2
=1/5(4i3k)(2xyzi+x zj+x yk)
=1/5[42xyz+03x2y]

Atthepoint(1,1,1)thedesireddirectionalderivativeisthus:

=1/5[8(1)3(1)]=1

Exercise2:Calculatethedirectionalderivativeofthefollowingfunctionsinthegivendirectionsandatthestatedpoints:

(a)=3x23y2inthedirectionjat(1,2,3).
(b)=x2+y2inthedirection2i+2j+kat(0,2,1).
(c)=sin(x)+cos(y)+sin(z)inthedirectioni+jat(,0,).

Wenowstate,withoutproof,twousefulpropertiesofthedirectionalderivativeandgradient:

Themaximaldirectionalderivativeofthescalarfield(x,y,z)isinthedirectionofthegradientvector.
Ifasurfaceisgivenby(x,y,z)=cwherecisaconstant,thenthenormalstothesurfacearethevectors.

Example4:Considerthesurfacexy3=z+2.Tofinditsunitnormalat(1,1,1),weneedtowriteitas:=xy3z=2and
calculatethegradientof:

=y3i+3xy2jk

Atthepoint(1,1,1)thisis=i+3jk.Themagnitudeofthismaximalrateofchangeis12+33+(1)2=11

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Thustheunitnormalstothesurfaceare:1/11(i+3jk).

Quiz5:Whichofthefollowingvectorsisnormaltothesurfacex2yz=1at(1,1,1)?

(a)4i+j+17k
(b)2i+j+2k
(c)i+j+k
(d)2ijk

Quiz6:Whichofthefollowingvectorsisaunitnormaltothesurfacecos(x)yz=1at(,1,1)?

(a)1/2j+1/2k
(b)i+j+2/k
(c)i
(d)1/2j1/2k

Quiz7:Selectaunitnormaltothe(sphericallysymmetric)surfaceatx2+y2+z2=169at(5,0,12):

(a)i+1/6j1/6k
(b)1/3i+1/3j+1/3k
GradientsandDirectionalDerivatives
(c)5/13i+12/13k
(d)5/13i+12/13k
1.Introduction
5.QuizonGradientsandDirectionalDerivatives
2.Gradient(Grad)
Choosethesolutionsfromtheoptionsgiven
3.DirectionalDerivatives
1.Whatisthegradientof(x,y,z)=xyz1?
4.QuizonGradientsandDirectionalDerivatives
(a)i+j+z2k
(b)y/zi+x/zjxy/z2k
(c)yz1i+xz1j+xyz2k
(d)1/z2
2.Ifnisaconstant,choosethegradientof(r)=1rn,wherer=|r|andr=xi+yj+zk.
(a)0
(b)n/2i+j+k/rn+1
(c)nr/rn+2
(d)n/2r/rn+2
3.Selecttheunitnormalstothesurfaceofrevolution,z=1/2x2+1/2y2,atthepoint(1,1,4)
(a)1/3(i+jk)
(b)1/3(i+j+k)
(c)1/2(i+j)
(d)1/2(2i+2j4k)

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