Chapter 3: Partial derivatives

Lecture 3
Maximum and Minimum Values
 Definition 1a. A function of two
variables f(x,y) has a local maximum
value at (a,b) if f(x,y) ≤ f(a,b) when
(x,y) near (a,b).

r  0, such that f ( x, y )  f (a, b)

if d (( x, y), (a, b))  ( x - a) 2  ( y - b) 2  r

 Definition 1b. A function of two variables f(x,y) has a local

minimum value at (a,b) if f(x,y) ≥ f(a,b) when (x,y) near (a,b).
 Definition 2a. A function of two
variables f(x,y) has an absolute
maximum value at (a,b) if
f(x,y) ≤ f(a,b) for all (x,y) in the
domain of f

Definition 2b. A function of two variables f(x,y) has an

absolute minimum value at (a,b) if f(x,y) ≥ f(a,b) for all
(x,y) in the domain of f
 We use the word
“extremum value” to
indicate that f has either
max or min value
 Theorem. If f has a local maximum or minimum
at (a,b) and the first-order partial derivatives of
f exist there, then fx(a,b)=0 and fy(a,b)=0.

 Proof. Let g(x)=f(x,b). If f has a local

maximum (or minimum) at (a,b), then g has a
local maximum (or minimum) at x=a, so by
Fermat’s Theorem g’(a)=0. But g’(a)= fx(a,b) .
So fx(a,b)=0
 Similarly, by applying Fermat’s Theorem to the
function h(y)=f(a,y), we obtain fy(a,b)=0
 A point (a,b) is called a critical point (stationary
point) of f if fx(a,b)=0 and fy(a,b)=0 , or if one of
these partial derivatives does not exist (singular
point).
 If f has a local maximum or minimum at (a,b), then
(a,b) is a critical point of f.
 However, as in single-variable calculus, not all critical
points are maxima or minima.
 At a critical point, a function could have a local
maximum or a local minimum or neither.
Let f x (a, b)  f y (a, b)  0 ((a,b) is a critical point)

f xx (a, b) f xy (a, b)
D  f xx (a, b) f yy (a, b)   f xy (a, b) 
2

f yx (a, b) f yy (a, b)
 (a) If D>0 and fxx(a,b)>0, then f(a,b) is a local
minimum.
 (b) If D>0 and fxx(a,b)<0, then f(a,b) is a local
maximum.
 (c) If D<0, then f(a,b) is not an extreme value
 In case (c), where D<0, the point (a,b) is called a
saddle point of f and the graph of f crosses its
tangent plane at (a,b).
 If D=0, the test gives no information: f could have
a local maximum or local minimum at (a,b), or
(a,b) could be a saddle point of f.
 Find the local maximum and minimum values and
saddle points of
f(x,y)=x3y + 12x2 -8y
-Critial points satisfy:
f x ( x, y )  3x 2 y  24 x  0, f y ( x, y )  x 3  8  0  x  2
 f x ( x, y )  12 y  48  0  y  4
Unique critical point: (2, 4)
f xx ( x, y )  6 xy  24, f xy ( x, y )  3x , f yy ( x, y )  0
2

 D  122  0.
Thus, (2,-4) is a saddle point of f
 Find the local maximum and minimum values
and saddle points of the function
f(x,y)=x2 + y2+ x2y + 4
 A boundary point P of D is a point such that every
disk with center P contains points in D and also points
not in D. Boundary=set of all boundary points
 A closed set in R2 is one that contains all its
boundary points.
Ex: If f is continuous, then the following sets are closed:
A  {( x, y ) | f ( x, y )  c}, A  {( x, y ) | f ( x, y )  c}
B  {( x, y ) | f ( x, y )  c}, B  {( x, y ) | f ( x, y )  c}
C  {( x, y ) | d  f ( x, y )  c},
C  {( x, y ) | f ( x, y )  c}  {( x, y ) | f ( x, y )  d }
 A bounded set in R2 is one that is contained
within some disk. In other words, it is finite in
extent.
 Theorem: If f is continuous on a closed, bounded
set D in R2, then f attains an absolute maximum
value f(a,b) and an absolute minimum value f(c,d)
at some points (a,b) and (c,d) on D.
For a continuous function f on a closed, bounded
set D:
 1. Find the values of f at the critical points of f
inside D.
 2. Find the extreme values of f on the boundary of
D.
 3. The largest of the values from steps 1 and 2 is
the absolute maximum; the smallest of these
values is the absolute minimum value.
Find the absolute maximum and minimum values of
f(x,y)=x2 + y2+ x2y + 4
on the set R={(x,y) | |x| ≤1, |y| ≤ 1}.
 Find the absolute maximum and minimum values of
f(x,y)=x2 + y2+ x2y + 4
on the set R={(x,y) | |x| ≤1, |y| ≤ 1}.
Step 1: Find values of f at critial points
f x ( x, y )  2 x  2 xy  0 

  ( x  0, y  0), or (x   2, y  1)  R
f y ( x, y )  2 y  x  0 
2

 Only one critical point (0,0)  R, and f (0, 0)  4
Step 2: Find max and min of f on boundary of R
f ( x, y )  x 2  y 2  x 2 y  4
AA ' : x  1  f (1, y )  y 2  y  5,  1  y  1
min f AA '  f (1, 1/ 2)  19 / 4, max f AA '  f (1,1)  7
 f ( x, y )  x 2  y 2  x 2 y  4
AB : y  1  f ( x,1)  2 x 2  5,  1  x  1
min f AB  f (0,1)  5, max f AB  f (1,1)  7

BB ' : x  1  f (1, y)  y 2  y  5,  1  y  1
min f BB '  f (1, 1/ 2)  19 / 4, max f BB '  f (1,1)  7

f ( x, y )  x 2  y 2  x 2 y  4
A ' B ' : y  1  f ( x, 1)  5,  1  x  1
min f A ' B '  max f A ' B '  5
Step3 :
min f  f (0, 0)  4
max f  f (1,1)  7