Math 241: Problem of the day

Problem: Find the absolute maximum and minimum value of the

function f (x, y ) = x 3 x + y 2 x + y + 2 on the unit disk
D = {(x, y ) | x 2 + y 2 1}. What guarantees that the max and
min exist?

www.math.uiuc.edu/clein/classes/2014/fall/241.html

Finding max/min on boundary.

www.math.uiuc.edu/clein/classes/2014/fall/241.html

Finding max/min on boundary.

Find absolute max/min of f (x, y ) = x 2 y 2 on

D = {(x, y ) | x 2 + y 2 1}.

www.math.uiuc.edu/clein/classes/2014/fall/241.html

Finding max/min on boundary.

Find absolute max/min of f (x, y ) = x 2 y 2 on

D = {(x, y ) | x 2 + y 2 1}.
Critical points on D: f = h2x, 2y i = h0, 0i

www.math.uiuc.edu/clein/classes/2014/fall/241.html

Finding max/min on boundary.

Find absolute max/min of f (x, y ) = x 2 y 2 on

D = {(x, y ) | x 2 + y 2 1}.
Critical points on D: f = h2x, 2y i = h0, 0i
(x, y ) = (0, 0), and f (0, 0) = 0.

www.math.uiuc.edu/clein/classes/2014/fall/241.html

Finding max/min on boundary.

Find absolute max/min of f (x, y ) = x 2 y 2 on

D = {(x, y ) | x 2 + y 2 1}.
Critical points on D: f = h2x, 2y i = h0, 0i
(x, y ) = (0, 0), and f (0, 0) = 0.
We can parameterize the boundary, and solve... in general this can
be hard....

www.math.uiuc.edu/clein/classes/2014/fall/241.html

Tangent level curves

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Tangent level curves

Level curves of f (x, y ) = x 2 y 2 and boundary circle of disk.

www.math.uiuc.edu/clein/classes/2014/fall/241.html

Tangent level curves

Level curves of f (x, y ) = x 2 y 2 and boundary circle of disk.

Look for points of tangency between circle and level curves:

www.math.uiuc.edu/clein/classes/2014/fall/241.html

Finding tangencies

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Finding tangencies

Max/min of f (x, y ) constrained to g (x, y ) = 0.

www.math.uiuc.edu/clein/classes/2014/fall/241.html

Finding tangencies

Max/min of f (x, y ) constrained to g (x, y ) = 0.

Question: How do we find tangencies without picture?

www.math.uiuc.edu/clein/classes/2014/fall/241.html

Finding tangencies

Max/min of f (x, y ) constrained to g (x, y ) = 0.

Question: How do we find tangencies without picture?
Answer: Find solutions to system:

f (x, y ) = g (x, y )
g (x, y ) = 0

www.math.uiuc.edu/clein/classes/2014/fall/241.html

Finding tangencies

Max/min of f (x, y ) constrained to g (x, y ) = 0.

Question: How do we find tangencies without picture?
Answer: Find solutions to system:

f (x, y ) = g (x, y )
g (x, y ) = 0
Call (x, y ) from a solution a critical point of f constrained by
g = 0. (we dont typically care what is...)

www.math.uiuc.edu/clein/classes/2014/fall/241.html

Method of Lagrange multipliers

Theorem. Suppose g 6= 0 on the set

C = {(x1 , . . . , xn ) Rn | g (x1 , . . . , xn ) = 0}
and suppose f (x1 , . . . , xn ) is differentiable. Then if f attains a
max/min value on C , these must occur at critical points of f
constrained to C ; that is, points (x1 , . . . , xn ) such that

f (x1 , . . . , xn ) = g (x1 , . . . , xn )
g (x1 , . . . , xn ) = 0
for some real number .

www.math.uiuc.edu/clein/classes/2014/fall/241.html