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Re: Wrong partial derivatives calculated

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg41154] Re: [mg41131] Wrong partial derivatives calculated
  • From: "Eric L. Strobel" <fyzycyst at comcast.net>
  • Date: Tue, 6 May 2003 05:57:36 -0400 (EDT)
  • Reply-to: fyzycyst at mailaps.org
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

on 05/05/03 2:40 AM, David at david at hushmail.com wrote:

> When I calculate (D[x^2 + xy + y^2, x) mathematica gives me 2y and when I
> calculate D[x^2 + xy + y^2, y) I get 2x.  These are wrong answers -- have I
> got the syntax right?  I'm trying to find partial derivatives of x^2 + xy +
> y^2 with respect to x and y.

Do you have a space between the 'x' and 'y' in the cross term?  If not, you
might try calculating D[x^2 + xy + y^2, xy) and see what you get...  (That
is, 'xy' without spaces is a variable onto itself and is NOT the product of
'x' and 'y'.)

- Eric.
-- 

Eric Strobel (fyzycyst at NOSPAM^mailaps.org)

=====================================================================
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