First Midterm Exam: Solutions Math 212 Fall 2010

First Midterm Exam: Solutions
Math 212 Fall 2010

Instructions: This is a 90 minute exam. You should work alone, without
access to any book or notes. No calculators are allowed. Do not discuss this
exam with anyone other than your instructor. When you have completed the
exam, write out and sign the Honor Code pledge on the front.
The exam consists of 6 questions. You must show all of your work on each
problem to receive full credit, and be sure to clearly indicate your nal
answer to each question.
1. [15 Points]
(a) Compute the dot product (3i 2k) (i 6j + 3k).
Solution: 3 1 + 0 (6) + (2) 3 = -3 .
(b) Compute the determinant
1 1 3
2 0 0
3 1 2
.
Solution: We expand along the second row according to the signs
+ +
+
+ +
1 1 3
2 0 0
3 1 2
= 2
1 3
1 2
+ 0
1 3
3 2
1 1
3 1
= (2) ((1) (2) 3 1)

= 2 .
(c) Let u = (1, 1, 2), v = (1, 3, 1), and w = (2, 2, 4). Compute u (v w).
Solution: The quantity u (v w) is equal to the determinant of the 3 3 matrix whose
rows are the vectors u, v, and w. Since one row is a scalar multiple of another, the determinant
is 0 .
2. [15 Points]
(a) Let f(x, y, z) = x sin yz + z
3
ln y. Compute the gradient f.
1
Solution:
f
x
= sin yz
f
y
= xz cos yz +
z
3
y
f
z
= xy cos yz + 3z
2
ln y, so
f =
_
sin yz, xz cos yz +
z
3
y
, xy cos yz + 3z
2
ln y
_
.
(b) Let g(x, y, z) = (xy e
yz
, z sin xy
2
). Compute the matrix of partial derivatives Dg.
Solution:
Dg =
_
g
1
x
g
1
y
g
1
z
g
2
x
g
2
y
g
1
z
_
=
_
y x ze
yz
ye
yz
y
2
z cos xy
2
2xyz cos xy
2
sin xy
2
_
3. [20 Points] Suppose that the temperature at a point (x, y), x > 0 in the plane is given
by T =

x + e
x
2
y
and that an object is moving in the plane according to the path
c(t) = (1 cos 3t, cos t). Let T(t) be the temperature the object experiences at time t.
(a) Using the multivariable chain rule, nd the rate of change
dT
dt
of the temperature
experienced by the object at time t = /2.
Solution: We compute T =
_
1
2
x
+ 2xye
x
2
y
, x
2
e
x
2
y
_
, so that
T(c(t)) =
_
1
2
1 cos 3t
+ 2(1 cos 3t)(cos
2
t)e
(1cos 3t)
2
cos t
, (1 cos 3t)
2
e
(1cos 3t)
2
cos t
_
t=/2
=
_
1
2
, 1
_
.
We nd also, c
(t) = (3 sin 3t, sin t), so c
(/2) = (3, 1), and by the chain rule

dT
dt
(/2) = (
1
2
, 1) (3, 1) =
1
2
(3) + (1)(1) =
5
2
.
(b) Find an approximate value for the temperature at time t = (/2) + 0.06.
2
Solution:
T(/2 + 0.06) T(/2) + T
(/2) ((/2 + 0.06) /2)

= 2 +
_
5
2
_
(0.06)
= 1.85
4. [15 Points] Compute the following multivariable limits, or show that they do not exist:
(a) lim
(x,y)(0,0)
3x
x
2
+ y
2
Solution: Taking the limit along the x-axis, we nd lim
x0
3x
x
2
= lim
x0
3
x
, which does not exist,
so the multivariable limit certainly does not exist .
(b) lim
(x,y)(0,/3)
cos(xy
2
) 1
xy
2
Solution: Set u = xy
2
. We have lim
u0
cos u 1
u
= lim
u0
sin u
1
= 0. Thus the function
f(u) =
_
cos u1
u
u = 0
0 u = 0
is continuous for all u R, and setting g(x, y) = xy
2
, we see the composition h = f g, dened
by
h(x, y) =
_
cos(xy
2
)1
xy
2
x = 0 and y = 0
0 x = 0 or y = 0
is continuous for all (x, y) R
2
. Thus
lim
(x,y)(0,/3)
cos(xy
2
) 1
xy
2
= lim
(x,y)(0,/3)
h(x, y) = h(0, /3) = 0 .
(c) lim
(x,y)(0,0)
x
2
y
3
x
4
+ y
6
Solution: Although the limit is zero if we approach (0, 0) along any line, if we approach on
along the curve c(t) = (t
3
, t
2
), we nd
lim
t0
(t
3
)
2
(t
2
)
3
(t
3
)
4
+ (t
2
)
6
= lim
t0
t
12
t
12
+ t
12
=
1
2
.
Thus the limit does not exist .
3
5. [15 Points]
(a) Find the equation for a plane that is perpendicular to both the plane x+3y2z+4 = 0
and the plane x + 2z = 0, or show that no such plane exists.
Solution: Two planes are perpendicular if and only if their normal vectors are perpendic-
ular, so we simply need to nd a vector perpendicular to both (1, 3, 2) and (1, 0, 2). To do
this, we take the cross product (1, 3, 2) (1, 0, 2) = (6, 4, 3), so we may take the plane
6x 4y 3z + D = 0 for any D.
(b) Find the equation for a plane that is perpendicular to both the plane dened by
2x + y 3z + 1 = 0 and the line l(t) = (1, 2, 7) + t(2, 5, 3), or show that no such
plane exists.
Solution: If such a plane exists, the fact that it is perpendicular to the given line tells us that
its normal vector must be (2, 5, 3). We need only check that this normal vector is perpendicular
to (2, 1, 3), which we do by checking whether the dot product is zero:
(2, 5, 3) (2, 1, 3) = (2)(2) + (5)(1) + (3)(3) = 0.
Thus we can take the plane 2x + 5y + 3z + D = 0 for any D.
6. [20 Points] In this problem, we consider the function f: R
2
R dened by
f(x, y) = |x| +|y|.
(a) Plot the level sets f(x, y) = c for c = 1, 0, 1, 2.
Solution: The c = 1 level set is empty, as the function is always nonnegative.
4
(b) Sketch the graph of f.
Solution:
(c) Find an equation for the tangent plane to the graph of f at the point (1, 2, 3).
Solution: For (x, y) near (1, 2), we have f(x, y) = |x| +|y| = x y, so the graph of f near
(1, 2, 3) is actually a piece of the plane z = x y; the tangent plane to a plane is of course
just that same plane, x y z = 0 .
1
1
This agrees with our usual formula for the tangent plane involving partial derivatives since f(1, 2) =
(1, 1).
5

First Midterm Exam: Solutions Math 212 Fall 2010

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First Midterm Exam: Solutions

Math 212 Fall 2010

= (2) ((1) (2) 3 1)

(t) = (3 sin 3t, sin t), so c

(/2) = (3, 1), and by the chain rule

(/2) ((/2 + 0.06) /2)

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