Math 2443, Section 15.

7
Review
These notes will supplement (not replace) the lectures based on Section 15.7.
(i) Local maximum/minimum: A function f of two variables has a local maximum at a point
(x0 , y0 ) if f (x0 , y0 ) f (x, y) for (x, y) near (x0 , y0 ) and in such a case f (x0 , y0 ) is called a
local maximum value of f .
f has a local minimum at (x0 , y0 ) if f (x0 , y0 ) f (x, y) for (x, y) near (x0 , y0 ), and f (x0 , y0 )
is called a local minimum value.
(ii) Critical Points: We say that (x0 , y0 ) is a critical point of f if fx (x0 , y0 ) = 0 and fy (x0 , y0 ) =
0. In other words, f (x0 , y0 ) = 0, where 0 =< 0, 0 > is the zero vector.
Important: Note that, in order for a point to be a critical point of f , both fx and fy must
simultaneously be zero at that point.
(iii) Theorem: If f has a local minimum/maximum at (x0 , y0 ) and the first order partial derivatives of f exist there, then (x0 , y0 ) is a critical point of f . That is, fx (x0 , y0 ) = 0, and
fy (x0 , y0 ) = 0.
Consequently, given a function f of two variables, an equation of the tangent space to
the surface z = f (x, y) at a point (x0 , y0 ) at which the function has a local min/max is
z = f (x0 , y0 ) = z0 , that is, the tangent space is horizontal (parallel to the xy plane).
The converse of the above theorem is not true in general. For example, given f (x, y) = x2 y 2 ,
we have fx = 2x and fy = 2y. The only point at which both fx and fy are zero (that is, the
only critical point) is (0, 0). However, we can see deduce that (0, 0) is not a local min/max
for the function. To see this, notice that along the x-axis, the function is f (x, 0) = x2 , which
is always non-negative. Thus, the function will be positive at points on the x-axis close to
(0, 0). Similarly, you can check that the function will be negative at points on the y-axis close
to (0, 0). Hence, the critical point (0, 0) is neither a local minimum not a local maximum.
(iv) Second Derivative Test: Suppose that a function f is such that its second order partial
derivatives exist. We define a new object D at a given point (x0 , y0 ) as follows:
D = D(x0 , y0 ) = fxx (x0 , y0 )fyy (x0 , y0 ) [fxy (x0 , y0 )]2 .
We know that critical points need not always be the points at which the function has a
maximum or minimum. The following theorem gives a computational test for checking when
this happens:

Review

Second Derivative Test for functions of two variables

Suppose that (x0 , y0 ) is a critical point of a function f and the partial derivatives of second
order exist at this point.
1. If D > 0 and fxx (x0 , y0 ) > 0, then f has a local minimum at (x0 , y0 ).
2. If D > 0 and fxx (x0 , y0 ) < 0, then f has a local maximum at (x0 , y0 ).
3. If D < 0 then f has neither a local minimum nor a local maximum at (x0 , y0 ). In this
case the point is called a saddle.
4. If D = 0 the test is inconclusive.
0.1 Example: Find and classify all critical points of the function
f (x, y) = x4 + y 4 4xy + 4.
Solution: We have fx (x, y) = 4x3 4y and fy (x, y) = 4y 3 4x = 0. Thus, (x, y) is
a critical point of f when fx (x, y) = 0 and fy (x, y) = 0. That is, when x3 = y and
y 3 = x. We can combine the two equations to get x9 x = 0. This can be factorized as
x(x1)(x+1)(x2 +1)(x4 +1) = 0. The real roots of this equation are x = 0, 1, 1. Since y =
x3 , the critical points are given by (0, 0), (1, 1) and (1, 1). We also have fxx (x, y) = 12x2 ,
fyy (x, y) = 12y 2 and fxy (x, y) = 4. Hence D = D(x, y) = (12x2 )(12y 2 )16 = 144x2 y 2 16.
At (0, 0) we have D = 16 < 0 and thus the point has neither a local minimum or a local
maximum (so the origin is a saddle).
At (1, 1) we have D = 144(1)(1) 16 = 128 > 0 and fxx = 12 > 0, hence by Second Derivative Test, the function has a local minimum at (1, 1).
At (1, 1) we have D = 144(1)(1) 16 = 128 > 0 and fxx > 0, hence, as before, the
function has a local minimum at (1, 1).

(v) If D = 0 we cant use the Second Derivative Test so in such a case we check for local minimum/maximum by evaluating the given function at nearby points. For example,
f (x, y) = x4 + y 4 has a single critical point at (0, 0). A simple calculation shows that D = 0
at the origin so the Second Derivative Test is not applicable. However, note that f (0, 0) = 0
and at any other point close to (0, 0) the function is always positive, hence f (0, 0) f (x, y)
so the function has a local minimum at the origin (and 0 is a local minimum value).
(vi) Not every function has a critical point. For example, a linear function of two variables such
as f (x, y) = 2x + 5y + 7 has no critical points since fx = 2 and fy = 5 are never zero.
(vii) We can use the Second Derivative Test to maximize/minimize functions of x, y and z subject
to a constraint which is given by an explicit equation involving z, x and y by eliminating z
and using our method of finding D for functions of two variables.
0.2 Example: Find the points on the cone z 2 = x2 + y 2 which are closest to the point
(4, 2, 0).
Solution: The distance between (4, 2, 0) and an arbitrary point (x, y, z) on the cone is
p
p
d(x, y) = (x 4)2 + (y 2)2 + z 2 = (x2 8x + 16 + y 2 4y + 4 + x2 + y 2
p
= 2x2 + 2y 2 8x 4y + 20.
We are being asked to find the points that minimize this function. Now, we can make our
life easier by minimize the square of the function instead, since a minimum of the square of
the distance will also be a minimum of the distance. So consider
f (x, y) = 2x2 + 2y 2 8x 4y + 20.

Math 2443, Section 15.7

We have fx = 4x 8 and fy = 4y 4. Therefore, (2, 1) is the only critical point of f .

Also, fxx = 4, fyy = 4 and fxy = 0. Hence, at (2, 1), we have D = 16 > 0 and fxx > 0.
This means that (2, 1) is a local minimum
Now, for (x, y) = (2, 1) we have
of the function.

z 2 = 4 + 1 = 5. Thus the points (2, 1, 5) and (2, 1, 5) are points on the cone which are
closest to the point (4, 2, 0).
0.3 Example: Find three real numbers whose sum is 100 and whose product is maximum.
Solution: Suppose that the numbers are x, y and z. Then, we want to maximize
g(x, y, z) = xyz
subject to the condition x + y + z = 100. Let f be the function of two variables obtained by
substituting z = 100 x y in g. That is,
f (x, y) = xy(100 x y) = 100xy x2 y xy 2 .
We have fx = 100y 2xy y 2 = y(100 2x y) and fy = 100x x2 2xy = x(100 x 2y).
If y = 0, clearly fx = 0 and fy = x(100 x) which is zero when x = 0 or x = 100. Clearly,
we are assuming that x, y, and z are three distinct real numbers with sum 100 so x 6= 100
hence x = 0 and one critical point is (0, 0). The other critical point can be found by solving
100 2x y = 0
100 x 2y = 0
100
which gives us ( 100
3 , 3 ). Also, fxx = 2y, fyy = 2x and fxy = 100 2x 2y. Hence
2
D = 4xy (100
Now, at the origin, we have D = 10000 < 0, so it is a saddle.

2x 2y) . 40000


100 100
100 100
At 3 , 3 we have D = 9 10000
is
> 0 and fxx = 200
9
3 < 0 and hence
3 , 3
a local maximum of the function. Consequently, z = 100 x y = 100
3 . Hence the real
numbers whose sum is 100 and whose product is maximum are given by x = y = z = 100
3 .

In the previous two examples, we found a min/max of a function of three variables subject to
a constraint in which z is expressible explicitly as a function of x and y. In general, this will
not be the case and in Section 15.8 we will see a more general way of solving such problems.
(viii) Absolute minimum and maximum: A function f (of two variables) has an absolute
maximum at (x0 , y0 ) if f (x0 , y0 ) f (x, y) for all (x, y) in the domain of f , and in this case
f (x0 , y0 ) is called the absolute maximum value of f . Similarly, f has an absolute minimum
at (x0 , y0 ) if f (x0 , y0 ) f (x, y) for all (x, y) in the domain of f .
A point (x0 , y0 ) is called a boundary point of a set D in R2 if every disk centered at (x0 , y0 )
contains points inside as well as outside D. A set in R2 is called closed if it contains all its
boundary points. A set D in R2 is called .bounded if it can be enclosed in a disk.
(ix) Extreme Value Theorem for functions of two variables Let f be a function of two
variables which is continuous on a closed, bounded set D in R2 . Then, f attains the absolute
maximum and absolute minimum values at points in D.
(x) Procedure for finding the extreme values of a continuous function f of two variables on a closed, bounded set D in R2 :
1. Find critical points of f and evaluate the function at these points.
2. Find extreme values of f on the boundary of D.
3. Compare the values obtained in (1) and (2). The larger of these values is the absolute
maximum and the smaller of them is the absolute minimum.
0.4 Example: Find the absolute maximum and absolute minimum values of the function
f (x, y) = x2 + y 2 x2 y + 4 on the set D = {(x, y)| |x| 1, |y| 1}.
Solution: We follow the procedure outlined above.

Review
1. First of all, fx = 2x 2xy = 2x(1 y) and fy = 2y x2 . Thus fx = 0 and fy = 0 if
we have 2x(1 y) = 0 and 2y x2 = 0. The first equation holds if x = 0 or if y = 1.
If x = 0, from the second equation, y = 0. Thus
(0, 0) is
a critical point.

If y = 1, the
second equation gives us x2 = 2 or x = 2. Hence, ( 2, 1) and ( 2, 1)
are also
critical points.
We
now
evaluate
the
function
at
these
points:
f
(0,
0)
=
4,
f
(
2, 1) = 5

and f ( 2, 1) = 5.
2. Note that the set D is a square with vertices (1, 1), (1, 1), (1, 1) and (1.1). To
find the extreme values of the function on boundary we first divide the boundary into
four segments as follows. Let
S1 be the horizontal segment joining (1, 1) and (1, 1).
S2 be the vertical segment joining (1, 1) and (1, 1).
S3 be the horizontal segment joining (1, 1) and (1, 1).
S4 be the vertical segment joining (1, 1) and (1, 1).
Next, on S1 we have y = 1 and the function becomes f (x, 1) = x2 + x2 + 5 = 2x2 + 5,
which is an increasing function of x and it attains its minimum on S1 when x = 0 and
maximum when x = 1 so the min and max values are f (0, 1) = 5 and f (1, 1) = 7
respectively.
On S2 we have x = 1 so the function becomes f (1, y) = 1 + y 2 y + 4 = y 2 y + 5.
Now, what are the max and min values of this function on S2 ? It is not obvious by
looking at it so we complete the squares to get f (1, y) = (y 12 )2 + 19
4 . This function
is always positive so is minimum when the square term is zero. That is, when y = 21 .
It is maximum
when y = 1. So the min and max values of the function on S2 are


and
f (1, 1) = 7 respectively.
f 1, 12 = 19
4
On S3 we have y = 1 and the function becomes f (x, 1) = x2 + 1 x2 + 4 = 5, which is
a constant. Hence the function has the value 5 at each point point on S3 .
On S4 we have x = 1 so the function becomes f (1, y) = 1 + y 2 y + 4 = y 2 y + 5.
This is the same as on S2 , hence the maximum and minimum values of f on D = S4
are 19
4 and 7.
3. Comparing the values in (1) and (2), we see that the absolute minimum value of the
function on the given set D is 4 and the absolute maximum value is 7.