Absolute Extrema

for Closed Intervals

Determine critical numbers of the
function.
Compare function values at the
endpoints and at the critical numbers
that are in the interval.
The highest among these values is the
absolute maximum value, while the
smallest is the absolute minimum value.

Example
Determine the absolute extrema of the
function
on
.

We only consider the critical number 1, since

it is in the interval.

The absolute maximum value of the function

on the interval is 3,
and it occurs when x is 2.
The absolute minimum value of the function
on the interval is -1,

and it occurs when x is 1.

Example
Find two nonnegative numbers whose sum is
9, so that the product of one number and
the square of the other is a maximum.

Let x be one number,

then the other number can be expressed as

Note that

and

Consider the function

We want to get the absolute maximum of the
function on the interval

The critical numbers are 0 and 6.

The absolute maximum value is 108, and it

occurs when x is 6.
The two numbers that will yield the
maximum product are 6 and 3.

Example
A 2 feet piece of wire can be cut into two
pieces and once piece is bent into a square
and the other is bent into an equilateral
triangle. Where should the wire be cut so
that the total area enclosed by both is
minimum and maximum?