Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
The gradient of the function f(x,y) = −(cos 2 x + cos 2 y) 2 depicted as a projected vector field on the bottom plane. The gradient (or gradient vector field) of a scalar function f(x 1, x 2, x 3, …, x n) is denoted ∇f or ∇ → f where ∇ denotes the vector differential operator, del.
The slope a measures the rate of change of the output y per unit change in the input x. In the graph, moving one unit to the right (increasing x by 1) moves the y-value up by a: that is, (+) = +. Negative slope a indicates a decrease in y for each increase in x.
Given a function: from a set X (the domain) to a set Y (the codomain), the graph of the function is the set [4] = {(, ()):}, which is a subset of the Cartesian product.In the definition of a function in terms of set theory, it is common to identify a function with its graph, although, formally, a function is formed by the triple consisting of its domain, its codomain and its graph.
Slope illustrated for y = (3/2)x − 1.Click on to enlarge Slope of a line in coordinates system, from f(x) = −12x + 2 to f(x) = 12x + 2. The slope of a line in the plane containing the x and y axes is generally represented by the letter m, [5] and is defined as the change in the y coordinate divided by the corresponding change in the x coordinate, between two distinct points on the line.
The gradient theorem states that if the vector field F is the gradient of some scalar-valued function (i.e., if F is conservative), then F is a path-independent vector field (i.e., the integral of F over some piecewise-differentiable curve is dependent only on end points). This theorem has a powerful converse:
More generally, for a function of n variables (, …,), also called a scalar field, the gradient is the vector field: = (, …,) = + + where (=,,...,) are mutually orthogonal unit vectors. As the name implies, the gradient is proportional to, and points in the direction of, the function's most rapid (positive) change.
The graph of this function is a line with slope and y-intercept. The functions whose graph is a line are generally called linear functions in the context of calculus . However, in linear algebra , a linear function is a function that maps a sum to the sum of the images of the summands.
An example of a stationary point of inflection is the point (0, 0) on the graph of y = x 3. The tangent is the x-axis, which cuts the graph at this point. An example of a non-stationary point of inflection is the point (0, 0) on the graph of y = x 3 + ax, for any nonzero a. The tangent at the origin is the line y = ax, which cuts the graph at ...