Classroom Tips and Techniques: Partial Derivatives by Subscripting

Robert J. Lopez
Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Maple Fellow
Maplesoft

Introduction
As output, Maple can display the partial derivative as ; that is, subscript notation
can be used to display partial derivatives, and it can be done with two completely different
mechanisms. This article describes these two techniques, and then investigates the extent to
which partial derivatives can be calculated by subscript notation.

Discussion
The prime as the symbol of ordinary differentiation is very compact (and generally convenient),
especially when the derivative is to be evaluated at some specific value of the independent
variable. Thus, for example, we have to indicate that the derivative of is to be
evaluated at the argument . Of course, the notation

is perhaps a bit less ambiguous, but if is declared to be a function of , and prime to mean
differentiation with respect to , then the prime notation is pretty clear. Moreover, for
typesetting in a manuscript, the prime notation is a definite space-saver.

The parallel for partial derivatives is the literal subscript. There are texts such as [1] that indicate
partial derivatives with numeric subscripts so that for the function , partial differentiation
with respect to would be indicated by . If it is clear that is a function of and ,
then, like the case for primes with ordinary derivatives, the notation is unambiguous.

Given the function , for evaluating its partial with respect to at , the
notation is more compact and just as clear as the operator form
Many texts use the literal subscript for partial differentiation; this notation appears, for example,
in [2, 3], two of the classics I still have on my shelf.

The declare Command in the PDEtools Package

The first mechanism in Maple that allowed partial derivatives to be displayed with subscripts is
the declare command in the PDEtools package. This command predates the introduction of the
Typesetting package that allows commands to be entered in math mode, or in what Maplesoft
calls "2D math". Thus, declare would function in math mode, but it is best understood as an
artifact of the "1D math" environment.

Within the confines of PDEtools package, executing the declare command changes the display
of the partial derivative of with respect to to . So, the derivative is expressed with a
literal subscript, and the display of the independent variables is suppressed. Table 1 illustrates the
basic functionality of this command.

 Partial derivative by the explicit diff =

command.

 Load the PDEtools package.

 The package itself does not change the =

behavior of the display of a derivative.

 One form of the display command.

 Partial derivative now displayed with literal =

subscript.

Table 1 Basic functionality of the declare command in the PDEtools package

The "Nothing declared" echo in the fourth line of the table indicates that no specific function has
been "declared;" hence, all unspecified functions will display with independent variables
suppressed, and all partial derivatives will display as literal subscripts. There is a "quiet" option
for the declare command that suppresses any output it would otherwise provide. There are
undeclare, ON, and OFF commands to remove declarations, and to turn on and off the
functionality of the display without having to invoke undeclare. These details are available in
the help page for declare. where one can find the important excerpt we provide below.

 Different from macro and alias, this scheme handles only 'print/foo' subroutines. That is, it
does not change input or output, only the typesetting on the screen.
This paragraph clarifies that the changes induced by declare affect only the display (i.e.,
printing) of derivatives and functions. Neither input nor output is changed in any essential way.
Just the display changes.

The Typesetting Package

The Typesetting package contains the code by which Maple translates "2D math" notation to the
original linear text form of its commands. Within the package, the Settings, Suppress, and
Unsuppress commands are used to effect changes in the display of partial derivatives. In
addition, the typesetting "level" must be changed from the default standard to extended. The use
of these commands and options is summarized in Table 2.

 Remove the PDEtools package and its declare

command.

 Install the Typesetting package.

 Set the typesetting level to extended (from

standard).

 The userep option in the Settings command tells

Maple that partial derivatives are to be indicated
by repeated subscripts.

 The userep option only works if the independent

variables have been suppressed by the Suppress
command.

 The partial differential operator from the =

Expression palette is applied to . The Context
Menu option

Evaluate and Display Inline

is used to evaluate the partial derivative. Note that

the Suppress command, unlike the declare
command, allows suppression of independent
variables upon input.

 The Unsuppress command removes the effects

of the Suppress command.

 That independent variables must now be =

explicitly included is evident from the vanishing
 of the derivative.

Table 2 Partial derivatives displayed with literal subscripts through the

Typesetting package

Subscript as a Partial Differentiation Operator - 1

Maple does not make directly available the subscript as a partial differentiation operator. The
experiment that led to this article consists of the display in Table 3.

Remove the Typesetting package and its

commands.

Restore the standard typesetting level.

Note that a restart does not restore the
typesetting level to its default value.

Type the equation

Context Menu: Assign Function

Attempt to compute at by =

subscripting . The returned value is not

, it's .

Table 3 The failure of subscripts as partial differentiation operators

The desire to use subscripts as partial differentiation operators is at the heart of this article. That
Maple fails as per Table 3 was a surprise, even after 23 years of using Maple as the mathematical
tool of daily usage. Fortunately, the Maple programmers explained that this is a feature of the
software, namely, that both and evaluate to the same function. In fact, this is the feature
that allows to point to the natural log function, and to point to the base
logarithm. The secret is in the coding, an example of which is given in Table 4.
Table 4 Coding so that and compute partial
derivatives

Proof that the code in Table 4 defines the function in such a way as to permit
literal subscripts to act as partial differentiation operators is in the calculations in Table 5.

=
=
=
=

Table 5 Partial differentiation by subscripting

Of course, the coding of the function in Table 4 is beyond tedious. Although the code illustrates
what is possible, it is not a practical solution to the problem of using subscripts operationally for
partial differentiation.

Subscript as a Partial Differentiation Operator - 2

Table 6 summarizes a practical and workable method for defining subscripts as partial
differentiation operators. The method hinges on the Atomic Identifier construct available in math
mode. Loosely speaking, an Atomic Identifier is a collection of symbols that have been "locked"
together to form a single name. In Maple, an unassigned letter or string of letters is the name of a
variable. Some strings of symbols - for example, - do not form a Maple name because of the
space between the two letters. Assignments cannot be made to such collections of characters.
However, when frozen into the construction called an Atomic Identifier, they form a valid
name.

There are several ways to form an Atomic Identifier. For complex collections of symbols, it is
best to assemble the object, select it, and use Context Menu: 2D Math≻Convert To≻Atomic
Identifier. The alternative to the Context Menu is the Format Menu's "Convert To" option,
ending at "Atomic Identifier." The keyboard equivalent in the ® operating systems is
Control+Shift+A. For the

For a literal subscript, it's easier. Instead of setting the subscript with the underscore key, add the
Control key to the combination. Thus, it's Control+Shift+minus in the first two systems, and
Command+Shift+minus on the last. Since this adds only one key to the normal combination for
setting a subscript, setting the literal subscript and thereby forming an Atomic Identifier is
relatively painless. Finally, there is the template in the Expression palette. This also creates a
subscripted name as an Atomic Identifier.

Table 6 summarizes how to use subscripts, formed as Atomic Identifiers, as partial

differentiation operators.

 Execute the restart command to clear

all previous assignments.

 Type the equation

Context Menu: Assign Function

Type the equation shown to the right.

After typing the first , set the subscript
as an Atomic Identifier.
 Context Menu: Assign Function

Type the left side of the equation shown =

to the right. The symbol must be set as
an Atomic Identifier.
 Context Menu: Evaluate and Display
Inline

Table 6 Use of the Atomic Identifier construct to set a subscript as a partial

differentiation operator

The astute reader will realize that the partial derivative has been defined as a function, just as
has been. The Atomic Identifier device has allowed the symbols and to be seen as
unrelated by Maple, thus bypassing the built-in rule that Maple functions do not distinguish
between a function's name and that name subscripted. This may not be completely satisfactory,
since each partial derivative has to be defined as a separate function. But the notational clarity
that this device can bring to a manuscript makes it worth considering.
References

[1] David V. Widder, Advanced Calculus, Second Edition, Dover Publications, 1989.

[2] Watson Fulks, Advanced Calculus: An Introduction to Analysis, John Wiley &
Sons, Publishers, 1961.

[3] John M. H. Olmsted, Advanced Calculus, Prentice-Hall, 1961.