Editing Total derivative (section)

{{Short description|Type of derivative in mathematics}}
{{Distinguish|Total differential|Total derivative (fluid mechanics)}}
{{more footnotes|date=July 2013}}
{{calculus|expanded=Differential calculus}}

In [[mathematics]], the '''total derivative''' of a function {{mvar|f}} at a point is the best [[linear approximation]] near this point of the function with respect to its arguments.  Unlike [[partial derivative]]s, the total derivative approximates the function with respect to all of its arguments, not just a single one.  In many situations, this is the same as considering all partial derivatives simultaneously.  The term "total derivative" is primarily used when {{mvar|f}} is a function of several variables, because when {{mvar|f}} is a function of a single variable, the total derivative is the same as the ordinary [[derivative]] of the function.<ref name=Chiang>{{cite book |last=Chiang |first=Alpha C. |author-link=Alpha Chiang |title=Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics |url=https://archive.org/details/fundamentalmetho0000chia_h4v2 |url-access=registration |publisher=McGraw-Hill |edition=Third |year=1984 |isbn=0-07-010813-7 }}</ref>{{rp|198–203}}