Derivative, Gradient, and Lagrange Multipliers
EE263 Prof. S. Boyd Derivative, Gradient, and Lagrange Multipliers Derivative Suppose f : Rn → Rm is differentiable. Its derivative or Jacobian at a point x ∈ Rn is × denoted Df(x) ∈ Rm n, defined as ∂fi (Df(x))ij = , i =1, . , m, j =1,...,n. ∂x j x The first order Taylor expansion of f at (or near) x is given by fˆ(y)= f(x)+ Df(x)(y − x). When y − x is small, f(y) − fˆ(y) is very small. This is called the linearization of f at (or near) x. As an example, consider n = 3, m = 2, with 2 x1 − x f(x)= 2 . x1x3 Its derivative at the point x is 1 −2x2 0 Df(x)= , x3 0 x1 and its first order Taylor expansion near x = (1, 0, −1) is given by 1 1 1 0 0 fˆ(y)= + y − 0 . −1 −1 0 1 −1 Gradient For f : Rn → R, the gradient at x ∈ Rn is denoted ∇f(x) ∈ Rn, and it is defined as ∇f(x)= Df(x)T , the transpose of the derivative. In terms of partial derivatives, we have ∂f ∇f(x)i = , i =1,...,n. ∂x i x The first order Taylor expansion of f at x is given by fˆ(x)= f(x)+ ∇f(x)T (y − x). 1 Gradient of affine and quadratic functions You can check the formulas below by working out the partial derivatives. For f affine, i.e., f(x)= aT x + b, we have ∇f(x)= a (independent of x). × For f a quadratic form, i.e., f(x)= xT Px with P ∈ Rn n, we have ∇f(x)=(P + P T )x.
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