205k views
5 votes
Find the directional derivative of f at the given point in the direction indicated by the angle θ.

f(x, y)=2 y e⁻ˣ, (0,9), θ=2 π / 3

User Daltron
by
7.5k points

1 Answer

2 votes

Final answer:

The directional derivative of f at the given point in the direction indicated by the angle θ is -1.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the directional derivative of f at the given point in the direction indicated by the angle θ, we can use the formula:

f(a,b) • u = ||∇f(a,b)||cos(θ)

In this formula, ∇f(a,b) is the gradient of f, (a,b) is the given point, u is the unit vector in the direction of θ, and ||∇f(a,b)|| is the magnitude of the gradient. First, we need to find the gradient of f and the unit vector in the direction of θ.

The gradient of f is given by:

f(x,y) = (∂f/∂x, ∂f/∂y)

In this case, ∂f/∂x = -2ye^(-x) and ∂f/∂y = 2e^(-x).
At the point (0,9), ∂f/∂x(0,9) = 0 and ∂f/∂y(0,9) = 2e^(-0) = 2.
Therefore, the gradient at the given point is ∇f(0,9) = (0,2).

The unit vector in the direction of θ can be found using:

u = (cos(θ),sin(θ))

In this case, θ = 2π/3, so u = (cos(2π/3),sin(2π/3)) = (-0.5,√3/2).

Now, we can substitute the values into the formula:

f(0,9) • u = ||∇f(0,9)||cos(2π/3)

||∇f(0,9)|| = √((0)^2+(2)^2) = √4 = 2
cos(2π/3) = (-0.5)
Substituting these values, we get:
f(0,9) • u = 2 * (-0.5) = -1

User Juergen Riemer
by
7.3k points