Exercise · ZW-TANGENT-PLANE-002 · ★☆☆ Basic

Find the tangent plane to \(z=xy\) at the point \((2,3,6)\).

Choose one option.

Show answer
  • C. \(z=3 x + 2 y - 6\)

Explanation

\(f_x=y=3\) and \(f_y=x=2\), so \(z=6+3(x-2)+2(y-3)=3x+2y-6\). Swapping the slopes is the typical mistake.

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Review the concept: Tangent plane

The tangent plane to the graph of a function \(f(x,y)\) at the point \((a,b,f(a,b))\) is the plane that best approximates the surface near that point and contains the tangent lines of its two coordinate sections.

\[z=f(a,b)+f_x(a,b)(x-a)+f_y(a,b)(y-b)\]

More practice problems: tangent plane

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