1. Consider the transformation $u = x + y$, $v = y + z$, $w = x + z$. Compute the Jacobian $\left|\frac{\partial(x,y,z)}{\partial(u,v,w)}\right|$.
- A.$2$
- B.$1$
- C.$\dfrac{1}{2}$
- D.$-2$
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Answer: $\dfrac{1}{2}$
Find the forward Jacobian first: The transformation $(x,y,z) \to (u,v,w)$ has $\frac{\partial(u,v,w)}{\partial(x,y,z)}$ with matrix $\begin{pmatrix} 1 & 1 & 0 \\ 0 & 1 & 1 \\ 1 & 0 & 1 \end{pmatrix}$. Compute the determinant: $\det = 1(1\cdot1 - 1\cdot0) - 1(0\cdot1 - 1\cdot1) + 0 = 1 - (-1) + 0 = 2$. Use the inverse relationship: $\left|\frac{\partial(x,y,z)}{\partial(u,v,w)}\right| = \frac{1}{\left|\frac{\partial(u,v,w)}{\partial(x,y,z)}\right|} = \frac{1}{2}$. Why distractors fail: Option A ($2$) is the forward Jacobian $|\partial(u,v,w)/\partial(x,y,z)|$, not the inverse. Option B ($1$) would require the transformation to be volume-preserving. Option D ($-2$) forgets the absolute value and uses the forward Jacobian.