If a differentiable map takes values in a level set of a differentiable scalar function , the chain rule gives . At a regular point, the image of the derivative lies in the kernel of the nonzero covector : the tangent space of the level set. For a map into the unit circle this forces rank at most one.
Derivative of matrix inversion Created 2026-09-29 Updated 2026-10-07
On the open set of invertible square matrices, the inversion map is differentiable and
For differentiable maps at and at , the chain rule asserts
Write with , and with . Since , substitution gives
Both remaining terms are , proving differentiability and the stated chain rule. The estimate for also holds when its argument is zero, by setting .
For the circle constraint take . The composite is constant, so the chain rule gives
Since , this is a nonzero row vector annihilating . Thus cannot be invertible: at every . Geometrically, the derivative of a map into a level set takes values in the tangent space to the circle.
The implicit function theorem states that if and the partial derivative is an invertible linear map, then near the zero set of is uniquely the graph of a continuously differentiable function.
If is a differentiable bijection with differentiable inverse , the chain rule applied to and gives
Thus is an isomorphism with inverse .
If a continuously differentiable map has invertible derivative everywhere, the inverse function theorem makes it a local diffeomorphism. In particular it is an open map, so its image is open. Its image need not be closed: has nonzero derivative everywhere and image .
For the given map of elementary symmetric polynomials,
and direct evaluation of the determinant gives
Hence the critical set is
Its complement is the Zariski-open set on which the three coordinates are pairwise distinct. Each point has one of the six possible strict coordinate orderings, and each ordering defines a nonempty convex open region. A continuous path cannot change an ordering without crossing . Therefore has exactly
connected components.