Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematical-methods-ii-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2013/4/c/solution

Normalize the specified direction to . At distance the squared radius is . The exact change therefore requires . The positive root is
For comparison, the initial directional derivative is . Its first-order distance estimate is
These give approximately and . The exact expression accounts for the changing gradient along a finite straight displacement.

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