Exercise
Given the differentiable function
z=xf(\frac{y}{x})+g(\frac{y}{x})
Prove the equation
x^2z''_{xx}+2xyz''_{xy}+y^2z''_{yy}=0
Proof
Define
u=\frac{y}{x}
We get the function
z=xf(u)+g(u)
And the internal function
u(x,y)=\frac{y}{x}
We will use the chain rule to calculate the first and second order partial derivatives of z.
z'_x=1\cdot f+x\cdot f'_u\cdot u'_x+g'_u\cdot u'_x=
=f+x\cdot f'_u\cdot (-\frac{y}{x^2})+g'_u\cdot (-\frac{y}{x^2})=
=f-\frac{y}{x}\cdot f'_u-\frac{y}{x^2}\cdot g'_u
z''_{xx}=f'_u\cdot u'_x+f'_u+x\cdot f''_u\cdot u'_x+y\cdot g''_u\cdot u'_x=
=f'_u\cdot u'_x-(-\frac{y}{x^2}\cdot f'_u+\frac{y}{x}\cdot f''_u\cdot u'_x)-(-\frac{y}{x^2}\cdot 2x\cdot g'_u+\frac{y}{x^2}\cdot g''_u\cdot u'_x)=
=-\frac{y}{x^2}\cdot f'_u+\frac{y}{x^2}\cdot f'_u+\frac{y}{x}\cdot\frac{y}{x^2}\cdot f''_u+\frac{2xy}{x^4}\cdot g'_u+\frac{y^2}{x^4}\cdot g''_u
=\frac{y}{x}\cdot\frac{y}{x^2}\cdot f''_u+\frac{2xy}{x^4}\cdot g'_u+\frac{y^2}{x^4}\cdot g''_u
z''_{xy}=f'_u\cdot u'_y-(\frac{1}{x}\cdot f'_u+\frac{y}{x}\cdot f''_u\cdot u'_y)-(\frac{1}{x^2}\cdot g'_u+\frac{y}{x^2}\cdot g''_u\cdot u'_y)=
=\frac{1}{x}\cdot f'_u-\frac{1}{x}\cdot f'_u-\frac{y}{x^2}\cdot f''_u-\frac{1}{x^2}\cdot g'_u-\frac{y}{x^3}\cdot g''_u=
=-\frac{y}{x^2}\cdot f''_u-\frac{1}{x^2}\cdot g'_u-\frac{y}{x^3}\cdot g''_u
z'_y=x\cdot f'_u\cdot u'_y+g'_u\cdot u'_y=
=x\cdot f'_u\cdot \frac{1}{x}+g'_u\cdot\frac{1}{x}=
=f'_u+\frac{1}{x}\cdot g'_u
z''_{yy}=f''_u\cdot u'_y+\frac{1}{x}\cdot g''_u\cdot u'_y=
=\frac{1}{x}\cdot f''_u+\frac{1}{x^2}\cdot g''_u
We will put the partial derivatives in the left side of the equation we need to prove.
x^2z''_{xx}+2xyz''_{xy}+y^2z''_{yy}=
=x^2(\frac{y}{x}\cdot\frac{y}{x^2}\cdot f''_u+\frac{2xy}{x^4}\cdot g'_u+\frac{y^2}{x^4}\cdot g''_u)+2xy(-\frac{y}{x^2}\cdot f''_u-\frac{1}{x^2}\cdot g'_u-\frac{y}{x^3}\cdot g''_u)+y^2(\frac{1}{x}\cdot f''_u+\frac{1}{x^2}\cdot g''_u)=
=\frac{y^2}{x}\cdot f''_u+\frac{2y}{x}\cdot g'_u+\frac{y^2}{x^2}\cdot g''_u-\frac{2y^2}{x}\cdot f''_u-\frac{2y}{x}\cdot g'_u-\frac{2y^2}{x^2}\cdot g''_u+\frac{y^2}{x}\cdot f''_u+\frac{y^2}{x^2}\cdot g''_u=
=0
We got zero as required.
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