# Remembering the definition of the Jacobian: any tips?

I find it impossible to remember that the Jacobian of $f: \mathbb R^n \to \mathbb R^m$ is

$$\begin{pmatrix} {\partial f_1 \over \partial x_1} & {\partial f_1 \over \partial x_2} & \dots & {\partial f_1 \over \partial x_n} \\ \vdots & \dots & \vdots & \vdots\\ {\partial f_m \over \partial x_1} & \dots & \dots & {\partial f_m \over \partial x_n} \end{pmatrix}$$

and not

$$\begin{pmatrix} {\partial f_1 \over \partial x_1} & {\partial f_2 \over \partial x_1} & \dots & {\partial f_m \over \partial x_1} \\ \vdots & \dots & \vdots & \vdots\\ {\partial f_1 \over \partial x_n} & \dots & \dots & {\partial f_m \over \partial x_n} \end{pmatrix}$$

How to memorise this? Is there any reason why it's defined the first way and not the other?

• for $f:\mathbb{R}^n\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$ the gradient is horizontal
– Set
May 29, 2015 at 1:39
• The reason it's horizontal is because vectors are vertical by default and thus you have $\nabla f(x_0)x$ as the linear approximation to $f$ at $x_0$ without having to take a transpose.
– Set
May 29, 2015 at 1:44
• @Tyroshipleasurebarge Thank you for your comment. May 29, 2015 at 2:09

Since $f : \mathbb{R}^n \to \mathbb{R}^m$, then the Jacobian is also a function $Jf : \mathbb{R}^n \to \mathbb{R}^m$. This means that we will multiply the matrix $Jf$ by a $n \times 1$ column vector. Now a matrix product is only defined if the number of columns of the lefthand matrix is the same as the number of rows of the righthand matrix, so we must have $$(m \times \underbrace{n) \times (n}_{=} \times 1)$$ which results in an $m \times 1$ column vector in $\mathbb{R}^m$. Thus $Jf$ must be $m \times n$, hence has $m$ rows and $n$ columns, as in your first formula.

Consider a function $f: \mathbb{R}^n \rightarrow \mathbb{R}$. You of course have the gradient:

$$\nabla f= \left( \frac{\partial f}{\partial x_1},..., \frac{\partial f}{\partial x_n} \right)$$

If you have a function $f: \mathbb{R}^n \rightarrow \mathbb{R} ^m$, you have $m$ functions like above. Just stack the gradients in the matrix.

$\begin{pmatrix} \nabla f_1 \\ \nabla f_2 \\ ... \\ \nabla f_m\end{pmatrix}$

You could also remember that the jacobian must take a $n$-vector to a $m$-vector, hence it must be a $m \times n$ matrix.

• I didn't know, I thought the gradient was vertical. May 29, 2015 at 2:10
• Looking at Wikipedia it seems that the gradient is vertical: The partial derivatives are the coefficients of a vector and vectors are vertical. Right? May 29, 2015 at 2:11

The Jacobian at $$x$$, $$J(f)_x$$ is the matrix that makes $$f(x+h) = f(x) + J(f)_x h + o(\|h\|)$$ free of any transposition. With only column vectors for $$x$$ and $$h$$ and no transpose for the Jacobian, this is the only possibility. Then I work backwards to figure out the convention that is indeed impossible to remember.
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