Extrema on an Interval

Dr. Md. Abul Kalam Azad

Assistant Professor
Mathematics, Department of NSc
IUT

1
 Objectives

◼ Understand the definition of extrema of a function on an interval.

◼ Understand the definition of relative extrema of a function on an open

interval.

◼ Find extrema on a closed interval.

2
 Extrema of a Function

❑In calculus, much effort is devoted to determining the behavior of a function f

on an interval I.

❑Does f have a maximum value on I? Does it have a minimum value? Where is

the function increasing? Where is it decreasing?

❑In this chapter, you will learn how derivatives can be used to answer these
questions. You will also see why these questions are important in real-life
applications.

3
Extrema of a Function

4
Relative Extrema and Critical
Numbers

5
 Example 1 – The Value of the
Derivative at Relative Extrema
❑ Find the value of the derivative at each relative extremum shown in Figure 3.3.

Figure 3.3 6
Relative Extrema and Critical
Numbers

❑ Notice in the definition above that the critical number c has to be in the
domain of f, but c does not have to be in the domain of f'.

7
 Finding Extrema on a Closed
Interval
❑Theorem 3.2 states that the relative extrema of a function can occur only at the
critical numbers of the function. Knowing this, you can use the following
guidelines to find extrema on a closed interval.

8
Example 1 – Finding Extrema on
a Closed Interval
❑Find the extrema of f(x) = 3x4 – 4x3 on the interval [–1, 2].

❑Solution:
Begin by differentiating the function.
f(x) = 3x4 – 4x3 Write original function.

f'(x) = 12x3 – 12x2 Differentiate.

9
 Example 1 – Solution

❑To find the critical numbers of f in the interval (– 1,2), you must find all x-
values for which f'(x) = 0 and all x-values for which f'(x) does not exist.

12x3 – 12x2 = 0 Set f'(x) equal to 0.

12x2(x – 1) = 0 Factor.
x = 0, 1 Critical numbers

Because f' is defined for all x, you can conclude that these are the only critical
numbers of f.

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 Example 1 – Solution

❑By evaluating f at these two critical numbers and at the endpoints of [–1, 2],
you can determine that the maximum is f(2) = 16 and the minimum is f(1) = –1,
as shown in the table.

11
 Example 1 – Solution

The graph of f is shown in Figure 3.5.

Figure 3.5
12
 Example 1 – Solution

❑ In Figure 3.5, note that the critical number x = 0 does not yield a relative
minimum or a relative maximum.

❑ This tells you that the converse of Theorem 3.2 is not true.

❑ In other words, the critical numbers of a function need not produce relative
extrema.

13
Practice Problem

Exercise-3.1
29,35,44,63,64

14
Increasing and Decreasing Functions and the First
Derivative Test

15
 Objectives

◼ Determine intervals on which a function is increasing or decreasing.

◼ Apply the First Derivative Test to find relative extrema of a function.

16
 Increasing and Decreasing
Functions
❑ You will learn how derivatives can be used to classify relative extrema as
either relative minima or relative maxima. First, it is important to define
increasing and decreasing functions.

17
 Increasing and Decreasing
Functions
A function is increasing when, as x moves to the right, its graph moves up, and is
decreasing when its graph moves down. For example, the function in Figure 3.15
is decreasing on the interval is constant on the interval (a, b), and is
increasing on the interval

Figure 3.15
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 Increasing and Decreasing
Functions
❑ As shown in Theorem 3.5 below, a positive derivative implies that the
function is increasing, a negative derivative implies that the function is
decreasing, and a zero derivative on an entire interval implies that the
function is constant on that interval.

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Example 1 – Intervals on Which f
Is Increasing or Decreasing
❑ Find the open intervals on which is increasing or decreasing.

❑ Solution:
Note that f is differentiable on the entire real number line and the derivative of f
is

20
 Example 1 – Solution

To determine the critical numbers of f, set f'(x) equal to zero.

21
 Example 1 – Solution

Because there are no points for which f' does not exist, you can conclude that x
= 0 and x = 1 are the only critical numbers.

The table summarizes the testing of the three intervals determined by these two
critical numbers.

22
 Example 1 – Solution

By Theorem 3.5, f is increasing on the intervals and

and decreasing on the interval (0,1), as shown in Figure 3.16.

Figure 3.16
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 Increasing and Decreasing
Functions
❑ Example 1 gives you one instance of how to find intervals on which a
function is increasing or decreasing. The guidelines below summarize the
steps followed in that example.

24
Example 2 – Applying the First
Derivative Test
❑ Find the relative extrema of in the interval (0, 2π).

❑ Solution:
Note that f is continuous on the interval (0, 2π). The derivative of f is

To determine the critical numbers of f in this interval, set f'(x) equal to 0.

25
 Example 2 – Solution

Because there are no points for which f' does not exist, you can conclude that
x = π/3 and x = 5π/3 are the only critical numbers.

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 Example 2 – Solution

The table summarizes the testing of the three intervals determined by these two
critical numbers.

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 Example 2 – Solution

By applying the First Derivative Test, you can conclude that f has a relative
minimum at the point where

and a relative maximum at the point

where

,
as shown in Figure 3.19.
Figure 3.19

28
Practice Problem

Exercise-3.3
8,13,18,27,29,46,76,77

29
Concavity and the Second Derivative Test

30
 Example 1 – Determining
Concavity
❑ Determine the open intervals on which the graph of

is concave upward or concave downward.

❑ Solution:
Begin by observing that f is continuous on the entire real number line.

Next, find the second derivative of f.

31
 Example 1 – Solution

Because f ''(x) = 0 when x = ±1 and f'' is defined on the entire real number line,
you should test f'' in the intervals , (–1, 1), and
32
 Example 1 – Solution

The results are shown in the table and in Figure 3.25.

Figure 3.25

33
 Points of Inflection

❑ To locate possible points of inflection, you can determine the values of x for
which f"(x)= 0 or f"(x) does not exist. This is similar to the procedure for
locating relative extrema of f.

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Example 3 – Finding Points of
Inflection
❑ Determine the points of inflection and discuss the concavity of the graph of

❑ Solution:
Differentiating twice produces the following.

35
 Example 3 – Solution

Setting f"(x) = 0, you can determine that the possible points of inflection occur at
x = 0 and x = 2.
By testing the intervals determined by these x-values, you can conclude that they
both yield points of inflection.
❑ A summary of this testing is shown in
the table, and the graph of f is shown
in Figure 3.28.

Figure 3.28

36
 Points of Inflection

❑ The converse of Theorem 3.8 is not generally true. That is, it is possible for
the second derivative to be 0 at a point that is not a point of inflection.

✓ For instance, the graph of f(x) = x4 is shown in Figure 3.29.

▪ The second derivative is 0 when x = 0, but the point

(0,0) is not a point of inflection because the graph
of f is concave upward on the intervals

Figure 3.29

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 The Second Derivative Test

❑ In addition to testing for concavity, the second derivative can be used to

perform a simple test for relative maxima and minima.

❑ The test is based on the fact that if the graph of a function f is concave upward
on an open interval containing c, and f' (c) = 0, then f(c) must be a relative
minimum of f.

38
 The Second Derivative Test

Similarly, if the graph of a function f is concave downward on an open interval

containing c, and f' (c) = 0, then f(c) must be a relative maximum of f. (See Figure
3.30.)

Figure 3.30

39
The Second Derivative Test

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Example 4 – Using the Second
Derivative Test
❑ Find the relative extrema of f(x) = –3x5 + 5x3.
❑ Solution:
Begin by finding the first derivative of f.

From this derivative, you can see that x = –1, 0, and 1 are the only critical
numbers of f.
By finding the second derivative

you can apply the Second Derivative Test.

41
 Example 4 – Solution

❑ Because the Second Derivative Test fails at (0, 0), you can use the First
Derivative Test and observe that f increases to the left and right of x = 0.

42
 Example 4 – Solution

So, (0, 0) is neither a relative minimum nor a relative maximum (even though
the graph has a horizontal tangent line at this point). The graph of f is shown in
Figure 3.31.

Figure 3.31
43
Practice Problem

Exercise-3.4
8,11, 23,26,39,44,63,64

44
Optimization Problems

45
Applied Minimum and Maximum
Problems
❑ One of the most common applications of calculus involves the determination
of minimum and maximum values.

46
Example 1 – Finding Maximum
Volume
❑ A manufacturer wants to design an open box having a square base and a
surface area of 108 square inches, as shown in Figure 3.53. What dimensions
will produce a box with maximum volume?

Figure 3.53
47
 Example 1 – Solution

Because the box has a square base, its volume is

V = x2h. Primary equation

This equation is called the primary equation because it gives a formula for the
quantity to be optimized.

The surface area of the box is

S = (area of base) + (area of four sides)

108 = x2 + 4xh. Secondary equation 48

 Example 1 – Solution

Because V is to be maximized, you want to write V as a function of just one

variable.

To do this, you can solve the equation x2 + 4xh = 108 for h in terms of x to
obtain h = (108 – x2)/(4x).

Substituting into the primary equation produces

49
 Example 1 – Solution

Before finding which x-value will yield a maximum value of V, you should
determine the feasible domain.

That is, what values of x make sense in this problem?

You know that V ≥ 0. You also know that x must be nonnegative and that the area
of the base (A = x2) is at most 108.

So, the feasible domain is

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 Example 1 – Solution

To maximize V, find its critical numbers on the interval

So, the critical numbers are x = ±6.

You do not need to consider x = –6 because it is outside the domain.
51
 Example 1 – Solution

Evaluating V at the critical number x = 6 and at the endpoints

of the domain produces V(0) = 0, V(6) = 108, and

So, V is maximum when x = 6, and the dimensions of the box

are 6 inches by 6 inches by 3 inches.

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Applied Minimum and Maximum
Problems

53
Example 2 – Finding Minimum
Distance
❑ Which points on the graph of y = 4 – x2 are closest to the point (0, 2)?

❑ Solution:
Figure 3.55 shows that there are two
points at a minimum distance from the
point (0, 2).

The distance between the point (0, 2) and

a point (x, y) on the graph of y = 4 – x2 is

Figure 3.55
54
 Example 2 – Solution

Using the secondary equation y = 4 – x2, you can rewrite the primary equation as

Because d is smallest when the expression inside the radical is smallest, you
need only find the critical numbers of f(x) = x4 – 3x2 + 4.

Note that the domain of f is the entire real number line. So, there are no
endpoints of the domain to consider.
55
 Example 2 – Solution

Using the secondary equation y = 4 – x2, you can rewrite the primary equation as

Because d is smallest when the expression inside the radical is smallest, you
need only find the critical numbers of f(x) = x4 – 3x2 + 4.

Note that the domain of f is the entire real number line. So, there are no
endpoints of the domain to consider.
56
 Example 2 – Solution

Moreover, the derivative of f

is zero when

Testing these critical numbers using the First Derivative Test verifies that x = 0
yields a relative maximum, whereas both yield a
minimum distance.

So, the closest points are 57

Practice Problem

Exercise-3.7
4,19,21,29,40

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Thanks a lot …

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