Differentiation is the mathematical act of taking the derivative of a function. Partial differentiation is the mathematical act of taking the derivative of a function that depends on more than one variable with respect to one or more of those variables. If a differential equation contains partial derivatives with respect to more than one independent variable then it is called a partial differential equation (PDE). Partial differentiation is a pivotal technique used in chemistry, physics and engineering. Partial differential equations are in general very difficult to solve but their importance in applications warrants their use. Many partial differential equations describe situations in which a property is dependent upon not only time but also on position. Such a situation would be heat flow through a thin wire which involves position in the wire as well as time.

Partial differentiation involves a process by which the derivatives of...