Derivatives and Rates of Change

A Review of Derivatives of One Variable Functions

In case you've forgotten some of the tricks, here's a summary of first semester calculus.

Differentiating Functions of Several Variables (13.1-13.7)

Here's where you'll find all you need to know about partial derivatives. You'll also meet directional derivatives and the gradient as well as the tangent plane to a function.

Approximating Functions (13.9)

This section discusses linear approximations to a function of two or more variables, the differential of a function, and Taylor's theorem for two variable functions.

The Del Operator (13.5, 20.1, 20.3)

The del operator and various computations involving it (such as divergence, curl, and the gradient) are found here.

Applications of Derivatives (chapter 14)

This section discusses the use of derivatives for locating maxima and minima of a function of several variables. Also included is a discussion of Lagrange multipliers and constrained optimization.

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