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Exercise 8.7 · Q1

Q.In each of the following cases, determine whether the following function is homogeneous or not. If it is so, find the degree.

(i) f(x,y)=x2y+6x3+7f(x,y)=x^2y+6x^3+7
(ii) h(x,y)=6x2y3−πy5+9x4y2020x2+2019y2h(x,y)=\dfrac{6x^2y^3-\pi y^5+9x^4y}{2020x^2+2019y^2}
(iii) g(x,y,z)=3x2+5y2+z24x+7yg(x,y,z)=\dfrac{\sqrt{3x^2+5y^2+z^2}}{4x+7y}
(iv) U(x,y,z)=xy+sin⁡(y2−2z2xy)U(x,y,z)=xy+\sin\left(\dfrac{y^2-2z^2}{xy}\right)
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For each function, test F(λx,λy)F(\lambda x,\lambda y) (or F(λx,λy,λz)F(\lambda x,\lambda y,\lambda z)) against λpF(x,y)\lambda^pF(x,y): either every term scales consistently as one common power of λ\lambda (homogeneous, with that degree), or two pieces scale differently (not homogeneous).

Part (i): f(x,y)=x2y+6x3+7f(x,y)=x^2y+6x^3+7.

f(λx,λy)=(λx)2(λy)+6(λx)3+7=λ3x2y+6λ3x3+7=λ3(x2y+6x3)+7f(\lambda x,\lambda y)=(\lambda x)^2(\lambda y)+6(\lambda x)^3+7=\lambda^3x^2y+6\lambda^3x^3+7=\lambda^3(x^2y+6x^3)+7.

For this to equal λpf(x,y)=λp(x2y+6x3+7)\lambda^pf(x,y)=\lambda^p(x^2y+6x^3+7) for EVERY λ\lambda, the constant 77 (degree 00) would need to scale as λp\lambda^p too — impossible unless p=0p=0, but then the degree-33 part λ3(x2y+6x3)\lambda^3(x^2y+6x^3) would need to equal x2y+6x3x^2y+6x^3 for all λ\lambda, which fails. So ff is NOT homogeneous (mixing a degree-33 part with a degree-00 constant).

Part (ii): h(x,y)=6x2y3−πy5+9x4y2020x2+2019y2h(x,y)=\dfrac{6x^2y^3-\pi y^5+9x^4y}{2020x^2+2019y^2}.

Every term of the numerator (x2y3, y5, x4yx^2y^3,\,y^5,\,x^4y) has total degree 55; every term of the denominator (x2,y2x^2,y^2) has degree 22.

h(λx,λy)=6λ5x2y3−πλ5y5+9λ5x4y2020λ2x2+2019λ2y2=λ5(6x2y3−πy5+9x4y)λ2(2020x2+2019y2)=λ5−2h(x,y)=λ3h(x,y).h(\lambda x,\lambda y) = \frac{6\lambda^5x^2y^3-\pi\lambda^5y^5+9\lambda^5x^4y}{2020\lambda^2x^2+2019\lambda^2y^2} = \frac{\lambda^5(6x^2y^3-\pi y^5+9x^4y)}{\lambda^2(2020x^2+2019y^2)} = \lambda^{5-2}h(x,y) = \lambda^3h(x,y).

So hh is homogeneous of degree 33.

Part (iii): g(x,y,z)=3x2+5y2+z24x+7yg(x,y,z)=\dfrac{\sqrt{3x^2+5y^2+z^2}}{4x+7y}.

Under the square root, 3x2+5y2+z23x^2+5y^2+z^2 is homogeneous of degree 22 (every term degree 22), so 3(λx)2+5(λy)2+(λz)2=λ2(3x2+5y2+z2)=λ3x2+5y2+z2\sqrt{3(\lambda x)^2+5(\lambda y)^2+(\lambda z)^2}=\sqrt{\lambda^2(3x^2+5y^2+z^2)}=\lambda\sqrt{3x^2+5y^2+z^2} (for λ≥0\lambda\ge0) — degree 11. The denominator 4x+7y4x+7y is degree 11.

g(λx,λy,λz)=λ3x2+5y2+z2λ(4x+7y)=λ1−1g(x,y,z)=λ0g(x,y,z)=g(x,y,z).g(\lambda x,\lambda y,\lambda z) = \frac{\lambda\sqrt{3x^2+5y^2+z^2}}{\lambda(4x+7y)} = \lambda^{1-1}g(x,y,z) = \lambda^0g(x,y,z) = g(x,y,z).

So gg is homogeneous of degree 00.

Part (iv): U(x,y,z)=xy+sin⁡ ⁣(y2−2z2xy)U(x,y,z)=xy+\sin\!\left(\dfrac{y^2-2z^2}{xy}\right).

The argument y2−2z2xy\dfrac{y^2-2z^2}{xy} is a ratio of a degree-22 numerator over a degree-22 denominator, hence degree 00 — unchanged under (x,y,z)→(λx,λy,λz)(x,y,z)\to(\lambda x,\lambda y,\lambda z); so sin⁡(⋅)\sin(\cdot) of it is ALSO unchanged (degree 00). But xyxy scales as λ2xy\lambda^2xy (degree 22). So

U(λx,λy,λz)=λ2xy+sin⁡ ⁣(y2−2z2xy),U(\lambda x,\lambda y,\lambda z) = \lambda^2xy + \sin\!\left(\frac{y^2-2z^2}{xy}\right),

which mixes a λ2\lambda^2-scaling piece with a λ0\lambda^0-scaling piece — this cannot equal λpU(x,y,z)\lambda^pU(x,y,z) for any single pp. So UU is NOT homogeneous.

✓Final answer

(i) NOT homogeneous (mixed degree-3 and degree-0 terms) (ii) homogeneous, degree 3\boxed{3} (iii) homogeneous, degree 0\boxed{0} (iv) NOT homogeneous (mixed degree-2 and degree-0 pieces)

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