Suppose the temperature at any point in a steel plate is where x and y are measured in meters. At the point find the rate of change of the temperature with respect to the distance moved along the plate in the direction of the x-axis. Round your answer to one decimal place.

Question

Suppose the temperature at any point  in a steel plate is  where x and y are measured in meters. At the point  find the rate of change of the temperature with respect to the distance moved along the plate in the direction of the x-axis. Round your answer to one decimal place.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

We need to find the partial derivative of the temperature with respect to x. 
∂T/∂x = 2x + 4y = 2(3) + 4(-4) = -10 
Rounding to one decimal place, we get -10.0. So the rate of change of temperature in the x-direction at the given point is -10.0. Thus the answer is B.

Suppose the Temperature at Any Point in a Steel