Arkansas Tech University

MATH 2934: Calculus III

Dr. Marcel B Finan
3 Level Curves and Contour Diagrams
Graphs provide one way of visualizing functions of two variables. Another
important way of visualizing such functions is by drawing their contour dia-
grams.
Given a function of two variables z = f(x, y). The cross-section between the
surface and a horizontal plane is called a level curve or a contour curve.
Thus, level curves have algebraic equations of the form f(x, y) = k for all
possible values of k. A contour diagram or contour map of a function
f(x, y) is a 2-dimensional graph showing several level curves in the xyplane
corresponding to several values of k.
Example 3.1
Draw a contour diagram of z = f(x, y) =

x
2
+y
2
showing several level
curves.
Solution.
The surface representing the given function is a cone centered at the origin as
shown in Figure 3.1(a). Horizontal planes crossing this surface trace circles
in these planes. Thus, the level curves are circles centered at the origin in
the xyplane. Figure 3.1(b) shows a contoud diagram consisting of the level
curves k = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Figure 3.1
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Remark 3.1
One can create a contour diagram from a surface and vice versa. If the
surface is given, then we create contour diagrams by joining all the points at
the same height on the surface and dropping the curve into the xy plane.
On the other hand, if the contour diagram is given with a constant value
assigned to each contour curve, we obtain the surface by lifting each contour
curve to a height equal to its assigned value
Example 3.2
Find equations for the level curves of f(x, y) = x
2
y
2
and draw a contour
diagram for f.
Solution.
The level curves are the curves of the form x
2
y
2
= k, for all possible values
of k. For k = 0 we nd the two perpendicular lines y = x and y = x. For
k = 0 the graphs of x
2
y
2
= k are hyperbolas with asymptotes consisting
of the lines y = x. Figure 3.2 shows the contour diagram. Note that the
x
2
y
2
> 0 is a hyperbola that crosses the xaxis whereas x
2
y
2
< 0 is a
hyperbola crossing the yaxis
Figure 3.2
Example 3.3
Draw a contour diagram of the function f(x, y) = 2x+3y+6 showing several
level curves.
Solution.
The contour diagram is a set of evenly spaced parallel lines of common slope
2

2
3
as shown in Figure 3.3
Figure 3.3
Example 3.4
Find the geometrical shape of the level curves of a function z = f(x, y)
dened by the table of data
y\ x -1 0 1
-1 2 1 2
0 1 0 1
1 2 1 2
Solution.
We notice from the table that z = x
2
+ y
2
. Thus, the contour diagram con-
sists of circles centered at the origin. See Figure 3.1(b)
Cobb-Douglas Production Model
The Cobb-Douglas model was developed in 1928 to model the production of
the US economy between 1899 and 1922. Using government estimates of P
(the monetary value of all goods produced in one year between the period
1899-1922), K (total capital investment over the same period), and L (the
total labor force), the following relationship between these quantities holds:
P = 1.01L
0.75
K
0.25
The contour diagram shown in Figure 3.4 shows that reducing labor increases
capital investment in order to maintain the same level of production i.e.
supposedly more investment is needed in machinery to make up for the lack
of available labor. Conversely, increasing labor reduces capital investment
since supposedly the work is being done by the labor force.
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Figure 3.4
Applications: Topographic Maps
A topographic map, simply put, is a two-dimensional representation of a
portion of the three-dimensional surface of the earth. Such maps consist of
contour lines that indicate elevations. That is, contour lines are curves
drawn on a map connecting points of equal elevation. If you walk along a
contour line you neither gain or lose elevation.
Example 3.5
Using the topographic map below estimate the elevation of each of the 5
points A E. (Assume elevations are given in feet)
Figure 3.5
Solution.
Point A sits right on the 0 ft contour line. So the elevation of A is 0 ft.
Similarly, B sits on the 10 ft contour so that the elevation of B is 10 ft.
Point C does not sit directly on a contour line so we can not determine the
elevation precisely. We do know that point C is between the 10ft and 20
ft contour lines so its elevation must be greater than 10 ft and less than 20
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ft. Because point C is midway between these contour lines we can estimate
the elevation is about 15 feet (Note this assumes that the slope is constant
between the two contour lines, this may not be the case) .
We are even less sure of the elevation of point D than point C. Point D
is inside the 20 ft. contour line indicating its elevation is above 20 ft. Its
elevation has to be less than 30 ft. because there is no 30 ft. contour line
shown. But how much less? There is no way to tell. The elevation could be
21 ft, or it could be 29 ft. There is no way to tell from the map. We will
pick 25 ft for D.
Just as with point C above, we need to estimate the elevation of point E
somewhere between the 0 ft and 10 ft contour lines it lies in between. Be-
cause this point is closer to the 10 ft line than the 0 ft. line we estimate an
elevation closer to 10. In this case 8 ft. seems reasonable. Again this esti-
mation makes the assumption of a constant slope between these two contour
lines
Other practical uses of contours are on weather maps where lines of con-
stant temperature (call isotherms, iso=equal and therm=heat) or lines of
constant pressure (called isobars) are often drawn.
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