Exercise · ZW-MULTIVARIABLE-CHAIN-RULE-002 · ★☆☆ Basic

Let \(z=xy\) with \(x=\cos t\), \(y=\sin t\). Compute \(\dfrac{dz}{dt}\) at \(t=0\).

Choose one option.

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  • D. \(1\)

Explanation

\(\frac{dz}{dt}=y(-\sin t)+x\cos t\). At \(t=0\): \(0\cdot0+1\cdot1=1\).

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Review the concept: Chain rule in several variables

The chain rule for \(z=f(x,y)\), with \(x=x(t)\) and \(y=y(t)\), gives the derivative of the composition as the sum of what each intermediate variable contributes: its partial of \(f\) times its own derivative.

\[\frac{dz}{dt}=\frac{\partial f}{\partial x}\frac{dx}{dt}+\frac{\partial f}{\partial y}\frac{dy}{dt}\]

More practice problems: chain rule in several variables

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