Question Details

The directional derivative of the function f(x, y) = x2 + y2 along a line directed from (0, 0) to (1, 1), evaluated at the point x = 1, y = 1 is

Options

A

2

B

√2

C

4√2

D

2√2

Show Answer

Correct Answer :

Option D

2√2

Solution :

The correct option is 2√2.

To find the directional derivative of the function f(x,y)=x2+y2 along a line directed from (0,0) to (1,1) evaluated at (1,1), we follow a step-by-step mathematical derivation:

Step 1: Compute the gradient of the function f(x,y).
The gradient vector f is given by the partial derivatives with respect to x and y:
f = f x i ^ + f y j ^
Calculating the partial derivatives:
f x = 2 x
f y = 2 y
Thus, the gradient vector is:
f = 2 x i ^ + 2 y j ^

Step 2: Evaluate the gradient at the point (1,1).
Substituting x=1 and y=1 into the gradient expression:
f | ( 1 , 1 ) = 2 i ^ + 2 j ^

Step 3: Determine the unit vector in the direction of the line.
The line is directed from the point A(0,0) to B(1,1). The vector representing this direction is:
v = ( 1 - 0 ) i ^ + ( 1 - 0 ) j ^ = i ^ + j
The magnitude of this vector is:
| v | = 1 2 + 1 2 = 2
The unit vector u ^ in this direction is obtained by dividing the vector by its magnitude:
u ^ = v | v | = 1 2 i ^ + 1 2 j ^

Step 4: Calculate the directional derivative.
The directional derivative Duf of the function is the dot product of the gradient vector and the unit direction vector:
D u f = f · u ^
Substituting our values:
D u f = ( 2 i ^ + 2 j ^ ) · ( 1 2 i ^ + 1 2 j ^ )
D u f = 2 · 1 2 + 2 · 1 2
D u f = 4 2 = 2 2

Thus, the directional derivative of the given function evaluated at (1,1) is indeed 2√2.

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