Talk:Function of several real variables: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:33, 30 June 2013

Revision as of 09:09, 1 July 2013

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*'''Confusion in the terminology''': The article uses in the definitions many terms that either do not have any formal definition or have a formal definition but only in a different context. Such are: "dependent variable", "independent variable", "continuously varying variable". Moreover, the article is confusing by not clearly distinguishing a function, its graph and the equation of its graph. This confusion is common when teaching kids (I do not know if it is pedagogically a good thing), but ''must'' be avoided in a encyclopedia.

There are many other issues. As they are less fundamental, either I'll correct them by editing directly the article or they will be the object of another post. [[User:D.Lazard|D.Lazard]] ([[User talk:D.Lazard|talk]]) 14:33, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

:Thanks for constructive feedback. In order of the points:

:*It seems most you've done most of the objectives, but I'm not sure right now how to simplify. The geometric description of ℝ^''n'' is important and as simple as I can get it. If it's the set notation, maybe it could be cut out, but there is not masses and masses of unfamiliar notation and it wouldn't be a bad thing to show how set notation (elements, subsets, Cartesian product) is used. About emphasis on the differences, that would be important, but in the first stages I was trying to make the transition from one variable to many variables clearer using the geometric description of ℝ^''n'', so it resulted in similarities more.

:*Well, I'd better get decent sources (not just Schaum) and use them to sharpen the statements for continuity and differentiability, also for inline citations.

:*The terminology will be fixed and explicated.

:Unfortunately, I have badly organized the sections and will try and fix that also.

:One question - in the list above you included "Tangent hyperplane to the graph of the function, expressed in term of the gradient" - why was that deleted? And I didn't think the subsection it was in ("Curved hypersurfaces") was ''completely'' off-topic as it would offer more geometric insight to multivariable functions. No matter. [[user:Maschen|'''M∧''Ŝ''''']][[special:contributions/Maschen|''c''²''ħ''ε]][[user talk:maschen|''И_τlk'']] 09:08, 1 July 2013 (UTC)