Maxima and Minima of Function of Two Variables

Definition: A function f (x, y) of two variables is said to have a

relative maximum at a point (x0, y0) if there is disk centered at
(x0, y0) such that f (x0, y0) ≥ f (x, y) for all points (x, y) that
lie inside the disk and f (x, y) is said to have an absolute maxi-
mum at (x0, y0) if f (x0, y0) ≥ f (x, y) for all points (x, y) in the
domain of f (x, y).

Definition: A function f (x, y) of two variables is said to have

a relative minimum at a point (x0, y0) if there is disk centered
at (x0, y0) such that f (x0, y0) ≤ f (x, y) for all points (x, y)
that lie inside the disk and f (x, y) is said to have an absolute
minimum at (x0, y0) if f (x0, y0) ≤ f (x, y) for all points (x, y)
in the domain of f (x, y).

Critical point: A point (x0, y0) in the domain of a function f (x, y)

is called a critical point of the function f (x, y) if fx(x0, y0) = 0
and fy (x0, y0) = 0 or if one or both partial derivatives do not
exist at (x0, y0).

Saddle point: A saddle point is a critical point that is not a

local extrema of the function.
Example: Let f (x, y) = y 2 − x2. Find the critical points.

Theorem: Let f (x, y) be a function of two variables with contin-

uous second-order partial derivatives in some disk centered at a
critical point (x0, y0) and let
D = fxx(x0, y0)fyy (x0, y0) − [fxy (x0, y0)]2

a) If D > 0 and fxx(x0, y0) > 0 then f (x, y) has a relative

minimum at (x0, y0).
b) If D > 0 and fxx(x0, y0) < 0 then f (x, y) has a relative
maximum at (x0, y0).
c) If D < 0, then f (x, y) has a saddle point at (x0, y0).
d) If D = 0, then the test is inconclusive.

Example: Locate all relative extrema and saddle points of the

function f (x, y) = 3x2 − 2xy + y 2 − 8y.
Solution:
Example: Locate all relative extrema and saddle points of the
function f (x, y) = 4xy − x4 − y 4.
1st and 2nd Degree Taylor Polynomials for the func-
tions of two variables

First-degree Taylor polynomial of a function of two variables,

f (x, y): For a function of two variables f (x, y) whose first par-
tials exist at the point (a, b), the 1st degree Taylor polynomial
of f for (x, y) near the point (a, b) is :

f (x, y) ≈ L(x, y) = f (a, b) + fx(a, b)(x − a) + fy (a, b)(y − b)

Second-degree Taylor polynomial of a function of two variables,

f (x, y): For a function of two variables f (x, y) whose first and
second partials exist at the point (a, b), the 2nd degree Taylor
polynomial of f for (x, y) near the point (a, b) is :

f (x, y) ≈ Q(x, y) = f (a, b) + fx(a, b)(x − a) + fy (a, b)(y − b) +

fxx(a, b) 2 fyy (a, b)
(x − a) + fxy (a, b)(x − a)(y − b) + (y − b)2
2 2
Example: Determine the 1st and 2nd degree Taylor polynomial
approximations, L(x, y) and Q(x, y) for the following functions
of x and y near the given point.
a) f (x, y) = sin 2x + cos y for (x, y) near the point (0, 0).
b) f (x, y) = xey + 1 for (x, y) near the point (1, 0).
√
c) f (x, y) = x y for (x, y) near the point (1, 4).
d) f (x, y) = ex cos y for (x, y) near the point (0, 0).