Second-Order Partial Derivatives

f

xx

+

-

f

yy

+

-

f

xy

+

-

partial direction

x

y

plot type

3D

contour

x

0

y

0

f

x

= 0

This Demonstration helps students understand what second-order partial derivatives measure. As either

x

or

y

varies, you can see how a given partial derivative changes both numerically and graphically.

Joshua Sabloff, Stephen Wang