Math 210 Section 14.

8 Solutions
1. Use Lagrange multipliers to nd the extreme values of the function f(x, y) = 2x + 4y subject to the
constraint g(x, y) = x
2
+ y
2
5 = 0.
(a) Show that the Lagrange equation

f =

g gives x = 1 and y = 2.
(b) Show that these equations imply = 0 and y = 2x.
(c) Use the constraint equation to determine the possible critical points (x, y).
(d) Evaluate f(x, y) at the critical points and determine the minimum and maximum values.
Solution:
(a) Using the method of Lagrange Multipliers we have:
f
x
= g
x
2 = (2x) x = 1
f
y
= g
y
4 = (2y) y = 2
(b) = 0, otherwise we would get 0 = 1 and 0 = 2 in the above equations.
Solving the rst equation for we have:
=
1
x
Substituting into the second equation we have:
1
x
(y) = 2
y = 2x
(c) Using y = 2x and the constraint equation x
2
+ y
2
5 = 0 we have:
x
2
+ y
2
5 = 0
x
2
+ (2x)
2
5 = 0
x
2
+ 4x
2
5 = 0
5x
2
= 5
x
2
= 1
x = 1
If x = 1 then y = 2(1) = 2. If x = 1 then y = 2(1) = 2. Thus, the critical points are (1, 2)
and (1, 2) .
(d) Since f(1, 2) = 10 and f(1, 2) = 10, the minimum value of f is 10 and the maximum value
of f is 10.
2. Find the extreme values of f(x, y) = x
2
+ 2y
2
subject to the constraint g(x, y) = 4x 6y 25 = 0.
(a) Show that the Lagrange equations yield 2x = 4, 4y = 6.
(b) Show that if x = 0 or y = 0, then = 0 and the Lagrange equations give x = y = 0. Since (0, 0)
does not satisfy the constraint, you may assume that x and y are nonzero.
1
x
y
2
2
1
1
2
2
0
1
1
2
2
12
10
8
6
4
4
6
8
10
12
f(1, 2) = 10
f(1, 2) = 10
Figure 1: Level Curves of f(x, y) = 2x + 4y and the constraint curve g(x, y) = x
2
+ y
2
5 = 0 (thick, black
curve). Notice that the level curves f(x, y) = 10 and f(x, y) = 10 are tangent to the constraint at the
critical points.
(c) Use the Lagrange equations to show that y =
3
4
x.
(d) Substitute in the constraint equation to show that there is a unique critical point P.
(e) Does P correspond to a minimum or maximum value of f? Refer to Figure 10 to justify your
answer. Hint: Do the values of f(x, y) increase or decrease as (x, y) moves away from P along
the line g(x, y) = 0?
Solution:
(a) Using the method of Lagrange Multipliers we have:
f
x
= g
x
2x = (4)
f
y
= g
y
4y = (6)
(b) If x = 0 then = 0 and, thus, y = 0. Also, if y = 0 then = 0 and, thus, x = 0. Therefore, since
(0, 0) does not satisfy the constraint, x = 0 and y = 0.
(c) Solving the rst equation for we have:
=
x
2
Substituting into the second equation we get:
4y = 6
4y = 6
_
x
2
_
y =
3
4
2
(d) Substituting this into the constraint equation and solving for x we get:
4x 6y = 25
4x 6
_

3
4
x
_
= 25
17
2
x = 25
x =
50
17
If x =
50
17
then y =
3
4
_
50
17
_
=
75
34
. The critical point is then P =
_
50
17
,
75
34
_
.
(e) P is a minimum since the contours of f increase as you move along the constraint away from P.
5. Find the minimum and maximum value of the function f(x, y) = x
2
+ y
2
subject to the constraint
g(x, y) = 2x + 3y 6 0.
Solution: Using the method of Lagrange Multipliers, we have:
f
x
= g
x
2x = (2)
f
y
= g
y
2y = (3)
Solving each equation for , we have:
= x, =
2
3
y
Setting the right hand sides equal to each other and simplifying, we have:
x =
2
3
y
y =
3
2
x
Plugging this into the constraint equation we have:
2x + 3y 6 = 0
2x + 3
_
3
2
x
_
6 = 0
13
2
x = 6
x =
12
13
Plugging this into the constraint equation and solving for y we get y =
18
13
. The function f(x, y)
attains a minimum value at
_
12
13
,
18
13
_
. It is at this point that the distance from the origin to the line
2x + 3y = 6 is a minimum. The function does not have a maximum value.
6. Find the minimum and maximum values of the function f(x, y) = 4x
2
+ 9y
2
subject to the constraint
g(x, y) = xy 4 = 0.
Solution: Using the method of Lagrange Multipliers, we have:
f
x
= g
x
8x = y
f
y
= g
y
18y = x
3
-2
-1
1
-2 -1 1 2
2
x
y
.05
0.2
0.5
1.1
2
4
Figure 2: Contours of f(x, y) = x
2
+y
2
and the constraint curve 2x +3y = 6 in Problem 5. Notice that the
level curve f(x, y) =
36
13
is tangent to the constraint curve at the critical point.
Solving each equation for , we have:
=
8x
y
, =
18y
x
Setting the right hand sides equal to each other and simplifying, we have:
8x
y
=
18y
x
8x
2
= 18y
2
4x
2
= 9y
2
From the constraint equation, we know that:
y =
4
x
Plugging this into the above equation and solving for x, we get:
4x
2
= 9y
2
4x
2
= 9
_
4
x
_
2
4x
2
=
144
x
2
x
4
= 36
x =

6
4
The corresponding values of y are:
y =
4
x
=
4

6
The function values at
_

6,
4

6
_
and
_

6,
4

6
_
are:
f
_

6,
4

6
_
= 4
_

6
_
2
+ 9
_
4

6
_
2
= 48
f
_

6,
4

6
_
= 4
_

6
_
2
+ 9
_

6
_
2
= 48
Is 48 the minimum or maximum value of f on the constraint? Pick another point on the constraint
curve, say, (4, 1). This point certainly satises the equation xy = 4. Then,
f(4, 1) = 4(4)
2
+ 9(1)
2
= 73
which is larger than 48. Thus, 48 is the minimum value of f.
The function does not have a maximum value, however. If we take y = where > 0 is small, then
we can select x such that
x =
4
y
=
4

The function value at (

4

, ) is:
f
_
4

,
_
= 4
_
4

_
2
+ 9
2
=
64

2
+ 9
2
We can make as small as we want. The smaller we make it, the larger f will become due to the 64/
2
term. Therefore, f has no maximum value.
10. Find the minimum and maximum values of the function f(x, y) = x
2
y
4
subject to the constraint
g(x, y) = x
2
+ 2y
2
= 6.
Solution: Using the method of Lagrange Multipliers, we have:
f
x
= g
x
2xy
4
= (2x)
f
y
= g
y
4x
2
y
3
= (4y)
First, we notice that x = 0 is a solution of the rst equation. Plugging this into the constraint equation
we get:
x
2
+ 2y
2
= 6
0
2
+ 2y
2
= 6
y
2
= 3
y =

3
At these points, f(0,

3) = 0 .
Second, we notice that if y = 0 is a solution of the second equation above. Plugging this into the
constraint equation we get:
x
2
+ 2y
2
= 6
x
2
+ 2(0)
2
= 6
x
2
= 6
x =

6
5
x
y
f(

6,
4

6
) = 48
f(

6,
4

6
) = 48
.5
3
10
30
48
80
4
4
2
2
4
4
2
2
Figure 3: Level Curves of f(x, y) = 4x
2
+ 9y
2
and the constraint curve g(x, y) = xy 4 = 0 (thick, black
curves). Notice that the level curve f(x, y) = 48 is tangent to the constraint curves at the critical points.
At these points, f(

6, 0) = 0 .
Finally, dividing the two equations we get:
4x
2
y
3
2xy
4
=
4y
2x
2x
y
=
2y
x
x
2
= y
2
Substituting the above into the constraint equation and solving we get:
x
2
+ 2y
2
= 6
x
2
+ 2x
2
= 6
3x
2
= 6
x
2
= 2
x =

2
If x =

2 then y =

2. If x =

2 then y =

2. In all cases, we have f

_
2,

2
_
= 8 .
Thus, the minimum value of f on the constraint is 0. The maximum value is 8.
11. Find the minimum and maximum values of the function f(x, y, z) = 3x + 2y + 4z subject to the
constraint g(x, y, z) = x
2
+ 2y
2
+ 6z
2
= 1.
6
-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5
-2
-1
1
2
8
1
.1
.01
8
1
.1
.01
.01
.01
.1
.1
1
1
8
8
0
Figure 4: Level curves of f(x, y) = x
2
y
4
and the constraint x
2
+ 2y
2
= 6. Notice that the level curve
f(x, y) = 8 is tangent to the constraint.
Solution: Using the method of Lagrange Multipliers, we have:
f
x
= g
x
3 = (2x)
f
y
= g
y
2 = (4y)
f
z
= g
z
4 = (12z)
Solving the equations for x, y, and z in terms of , we have:
x =
3
2
, y =
1
2
, z =
1
3
Substituting into the constraint equation we get:
x
2
+ 2y
2
+ 6z
2
= 1
_
3
2
_
2
+ 2
_
1
2
_
2
+ 6
_
1
3
_
2
= 1
9
4
2
+
1
2
2
+
2
3
2
= 1
41
12
2
= 1

2
=
41
12
=
_
41
12
Plugging these into the equations for x, y, and z we get:
x =
3
2
_
12
41
, y =
1
2
_
12
41
, z =
1
3
_
12
41
7
Evaluating f at these points we have:
f
_
3
2
_
12
41
,
1
2
_
12
41
,
1
3
_
12
41
_
=
41
6
_
12
41
=
_
41
3
maximum
f
_

3
2
_
12
41
,
1
2
_
12
41
,
1
3
_
12
41
_
=
41
6
_
12
41
=
_
41
3
minimum
12. Find the minimum and maximum values of the function f(x, y, z) = x
2
yz subject to the constraint
x
2
y
2
+ z = 0.
Solution: Let g(x, y, z) = x
2
y
2
+ z. Using the Method of Lagrange Multipliers, we must solve the
equations:
f
x
= g
x
2x = (2x)
f
y
= g
y
1 = (2y)
f
z
= g
z
1 = (1)
g(x, y, z) = 0 x
2
y
2
+ z = 0
The third equation above tells us that = 1. Then, from the rst equation we have x = 0 and from
the second equation we have y =
1
2
. Finally, from the fourth equation we have z =
1
4
. The value of
f at the critical point is:
f
_
0,
1
2
,
1
4
_
= 0
2

1
2
_

1
4
=
1
4
Is this a minimum or maximum value of f? To check, well nd a point (x, y, z) that satises the
constraint and then compare f at this point with the value of f above. Lets pick (x, y, z) = (1, 1, 0).
Then,
f(1, 1, 0) = 1
1
1 0 = 0
which is smaller than f at the critical point. However, we can also choose (x, y, z) = (1,
1
2
,
3
4
) to
get:
f
_
1,
1
2
,
3
4
_
= 1
2

1
2
_

3
4
_
=
9
4
which is larger than f at the critical point. Therefore, (0,
1
2
,
1
4
) is a saddle point and there are no
min/max values.
15. Find the point (a, b) on the graph of y = e
x
such that the value of ab is as small as possible.
Solution: The function to be minimized is f(x, y) = xy and the constraint is g(x, y) = y e
x
= 0.
Using the method of Lagrange multipliers we have:
f
x
= g
x
y = (e
x
)
f
y
= g
y
x = (1)
Plugging = x into the rst equation we have:
y = xe
x
8
Substituting into the constraint equation, we have:
y e
x
= 0
xe
x
e
x
= 0
e
x
(x + 1) = 0
x + 1 = 0
x = 1
The corresponding y-value is y = e
1
. Thus, the value of f at (1, e
1
) is:
f(1, e
1
) = (1)(e
1
) = e
1
To show that this is the minimum value, we pick another point on y = e
x
and evaluate f. Lets choose
(0, 1). Then,
f(0, 1) = (0)(1) = 0
which is larger than e
1
. Therefore, e
1
is the minimum value of f.
-3 -2 -1 1
x
2
y
-4
-3
-2
-1
-0.1 0.1
0.5
Figure 5: Shown are the level curves of the function f(x, y) = xy and the constraint curve g(x, y) = ye
x
= 0
(in black). Notice that the level curve f(x, y) =
1
e
is tangent to the constraint curve at the point (1,
1
e
).
All of the level curves f(x, y) = C where C <
1
e
never intersect the constraint curve. Therefore, (1,
1
e
)
corresponds to a minimum.
17. The surface area of a right-circular cone of radius r and height h is S = r

r
2
+ h
2
, and its volume is
V =
1
3
r
2
h.
(a) Determine the ratio h/r for the cone with given surface area S and maximal volume V .
(b) What is the ratio h/r for a cone with given volume V and minimal surface area S?
(c) Does a cone with given volume V and maximal surface area exist?
Solution:
(a) Here, we say that S is constant and we want to maximize V . To make things a bit simpler, we
dene the functions f and g as follows:
f(r, h) =
3

V = r
2
h
g(r, h) =
1

2
S = r
2
(r
2
+ h
2
)
9
Using the method of Lagrange Multipliers, we have:
f
r
= g
r
2rh = (4r
3
+ 2rh
2
)
f
h
= g
h
r
2
= (2r
2
h)
Simplifying the above equations we have:
h = (2r
2
+ h
2
)
1 = (2h)
Solving each equation for we have:
=
h
2r
2
+ h
2
, =
1
2h
Finally, setting the right hand sides equal to each other and solving for the ratio h/r we get:
h
2r
2
+ h
2
=
1
2h
2h
2
= 2r
2
+ h
2
h
2
= 2r
2
h
2
r
2
= 2
h
r
=

2
This is the ratio h/r that maximizes the volume. Why? Well show that, for a given surface area,
the volume when h/r =

2 is larger than the volume when h/r is something other than

2.
h/r =

2
Let r = 1 and h =

2. Then the surface area and volume are:

S = (1)
_
1
2
+ (

2)
2
=

3
V =
1
3
(1)
2
(

2) 1.4810
h/r = 1
For this ratio, h = r. Since the surface area remains constant at

3, we have:
S = r
_
r
2
+ h
2

3 = r
_
r
2
+ r
2

3 =

2r
2
r =
4
_
3
2
= h
The corresponding volume is:
V =
1
3

_
_
3
2
__
4
_
3
2
_
1.4194 < 1.4810
Therefore, the volume we found for h/r =

2 is a maximum.
10
(b) Here, we say that V is constant and we want to maximize S. To make things a bit simpler, we
dene the functions f and g as follows:
f(r, h) =
1

2
S
2
= r
4
+ r
2
h
2
g(r, h) =
3

V = r
2
h
Using the method of Lagrange Multipliers, we have:
f
r
= g
r
4r
3
+ 2rh
2
= (2rh)
f
h
= g
h
2r
2
h = (r
2
)
Simplifying the above equations we have:
2r
2
+ h
2
= (h)
2h =
Solve each equation for we have:
=
2r
2
+ h
2
h
, = 2h
Setting the right hand sides equal to each other and simplifying we have:
2r
2
+ h
2
h
= 2h
2r
2
+ h
2
= 2h
2
h
2
= 2r
2
h
2
r
2
= 2
h
r
=

2
This is the ratio h/r that maximizes the surface area. Why? Well show that, for a given volume,
the surface area when h/r =

2 is larger than the surface area when h/r is something other than

2.
h/r =

2
Let r = 1 and h =

2. Then the surface area and volume are:

S = (1)
_
1
2
+ (

2)
2
5.4414
V =
1
3
(1)
2
(

2) =

2
3
h/r = 1
For this ratio, h = r. Since the volume remains constant at

2/3, we have:
V =

3
r
2
h

2
3
=

3
r
2
(r)

2 = r
3
r =
6

2 = h
11
The corresponding surface area is:
S = r
_
r
2
+ h
2
= (
6

2)
_
(
6

2)
2
+ (
6

2)
2
4.9870 < 5.4414
Therefore, the surface area we found for h/r =

2 is a maximum.
(c) A cone with given volume V has no maximal surface area. To show this, we let r = where > 0
is small. Then, for a given volume V , we have:
V =

3
r
2
h
V =

3

2
h
h =
3V

2
The surface area is:
S = r
_
r
2
+ h
2
S =

2
+
_
3V

2
_
2
S =
_

4
+
9V
2

2
We can make as small as we want. The rst term under the square root will get smaller and
smaller. However, the second term will get larger and larger. Therefore, we can make the surface
area as large as we want.
20. Show that the point (x
0
, y
0
) closest to the origin on the line ax + by = c has coordinates:
x
0
=
ac
a
2
+ b
2
, y
0
=
bc
a
2
+ b
2
Solution: The function to be minimized is f(x, y) = x
2
+y
2
and the constraint is g(x, y) = ax+by =
c. Using the method of Lagrange multipliers we have:
f
x
= g
x
2x = (a)
f
y
= g
y
2y = (b)
Solving the rst equation for , we have:
=
2x
a
Substituting into the second equation we have:
2y = b
2y = b
_
2x
a
_
y =
b
a
x
12
Substituting this into the constraint equation and solving for x we get:
ax + by = c
ax + b
_
b
a
x
_
= c
x
_
a +
b
2
a
_
= c
x =
c
a +
b
2
a
x
0
=
ac
a
2
+ b
2
Plugging this into y =
b
a
x we get:
y
0
=
bc
a
2
+ b
2
The distance from the origin to the point is:
D =
c

a
2
+ b
2
To show that this point is closest to the origin, pick another point on the line ax + by = c, say, x =
c
a
and y = 0. Then, the distance from the origin to this point is:
D

=
c
a
>
c

a
2
+ b
2
Therefore (x
0
, y
0
) is the closest point to the origin.
21. Find the maximum value of f(x, y) = x
a
y
b
for x, y 0 on the unit circle, where a, b > 0 are constants.
Solution: Since we are restricted to the unit circle, we have:
g(x, y) = x
2
+ y
2
1 = 0
Using the method of Lagrange Multipliers, we have:
f
x
= g
x
ax
a1
y
b
= (2x)
f
y
= g
y
bx
a
y
b1
= (2y)
We will not consider the cases when x = 0 or y = 0. In each case, f = 0. However, we are looking for
the maximum of f.
Solving the above equations for , we have:
=
1
2
ax
a2
y
b
, =
1
2
bx
a
y
b2
Setting the right hand sides equal to each other and simplifying, we get:
1
2
ax
a2
y
b
=
1
2
bx
a
y
b2
ay
2
= bx
2
y
2
=
b
a
x
2
13
Plugging this into the equation for the unit circle and solving for x we have:
x
2
+ y
2
= 1
x
2
+
b
a
x
2
= 1
(a + b)x
2
= a
x
2
=
a
a + b
x =
_
a
a + b
Then, from the equation x
2
+ y
2
= 1, we have:
y =
_
b
a + b
The value of f at this point is:
f =
__
a
a + b
_
a
_
_
b
a + b
_
b
26. Use Lagrange Multipliers to nd the point P = (x
0
, y
0
, z
0
) on the plane ax+by +cz = d closest to the
origin. Then calculate the distance from P to Q.
Solution: Dene f and g as follows:
f(x, y, z) = x
2
+ y
2
+ z
2
g(x, y, z) = ax + by + cz d = 0
where f represents the square of the distance between P and Q. Using the method of Lagrange
Multipliers, we have:
2x = a
2y = b
2z = c
ax + by + cz = d
Solving the rst three equations for x, y, and z, respectively, we have:
x =
a
2
, y =
b
2
, z =
c
2
Plugging these into the fourth equation and solving for , we have:
ax + by + cz = d
a
_
a
2
_
+ b
_
b
2
_
+ c
_
c
2
_
= d
(a
2
+ b
2
+ c
2
) = 2d
=
2d
a
2
+ b
2
+ c
2
14
The coordinates of the point on the plane closest to the origin are:
x =
ad
a
2
+ b
2
+ c
2
y =
bd
a
2
+ b
2
+ c
2
z =
cd
a
2
+ b
2
+ c
2
The distance between P and Q is:
D =
d

a
2
+ b
2
+ c
2
15