Three example Lagrange multiplier problems (#3 is much like #24 on the quiz)

1. Find the closest point in Quadrant I on the curve implicitly determined by x 2 + xy = 1

to the origin. This closest points x-coordinate is ____ ?
Well use Lagrange multipliers to minimize the squared distance function,
f ( x, y ) = x 2 + y 2
subject to the constraint equation, G ( x, y ) = x 2 + xy = 1 .
Then f = G at the extreme values of f on the level curves of G . Calculating the gradients, and
setting up the Lagrange multiplier equations, we get:

2x = ( 2x + y )
2y = x

Gx 2 x + y
=

G y x

f x 2x
=
f y 2 y

&

G ( x, y ) =

2 (1 ) x y = 0

2 (1 ) x

f ( x, y ) =

y=

x
2

=0

x
2

4 x 4 x 2 x = 0

x ( 4 4 2 ) = 0

One possible solution is x=0, but that cant satisfy the constraint equation.
So we may safely assume that x 0 . Thus it must be that 4 4 2 = 0 ; applying the quadratic formula:

2 + 4 4 = 0 =

4 16 + 16
= 2 2 2
2

Let 1 = 2 + 2 2 and 2 = 2 2 2 . First well seek solutions involving 1 . Substitute

x
y = 1 into the constraint equation to get:
2

x2 + x

1 x
2

=1

1 2
1 + x = 1
2

x=

y=

1
2

( 2 + 1 ) x 2 = 2

2
2
2
=
=
=
2 + 1
2 2
22+2 2
x =

( 2 + 2 2 ) 1 = 1 +
2

x2 =

2
2 + 1

1
1
= 4 0.8408964153
2
2

0.3483106995

When one tries the above with 2 one ends up with imaginary values. Thus we have the two possible

1 1 + 2
1
1 + 2
solutions, 4 ,
& 4 , 4
. Each of these points is the equidistant from the
4
2
2
2
2

origin, so both are as close as possible to the origin. But only the first is in Quadrant I (as specified in the
1 1 + 2
statement of the question), so the solution is 4 ,
( 0.840896, 0.348311) .
4
2
2

The graph of the hyperbola

x 2 + xy = 1 (in blue)
along with the point
1 1 + 2
4 ,
(in red):
4
2
2
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. Find the closest point on the curve implicitly determined by x 2 + 4 xy 5 x + 2 y 2 3 y = 0
to the point (2,1).
Well use Lagrange multipliers to minimize the squared distance function,

f ( x, y ) = ( x 2 ) + ( y 1)
2

subject to the constraint equation,

G ( x, y ) = x 2 + 4 xy 5 x + 2 y 2 3 y = 0 .

Then f = G at the extreme values of f on the level curves of G . Calculating the gradients, and
setting up the Lagrange multiplier equations, we get:
f 2 ( x 2)
f ( x, y ) = x =

f x 2 ( y 1)

&

Gx 2 x + 4 y 5
=

Gx 4 x + 4 y 3

G ( x, y ) =

2 ( x 2) = ( 2x + 4 y 6)

2 x 4 = 2 x + 4 y 6

2 (1 ) x 4 y = 4 6

2 ( y 1) = ( 4 x + 4 y 2 )

2 y 2 = 4 x + 4 y 2

4 x + 2 (1 2 ) y = 2 2

(1 ) x 2 y = 2 3
2 x + (1 2 ) y = 1

Solving this linear system (think of as a constant for now), we can express both x and y as functions of :
2 3 2
1 1 2 ( 2 3 )(1 2 ) (1 )( 2 ) 2 7 + 6 2 + 2 2 2
4 2 5 + 2
=
=
=
x=
1 2
2 2 3 + 1
1 3 + 2 2 4 2
(1 )(1 2 ) ( 2 )( 2 )
2 1 2

1
y=

2 3
1

2
(1 )(1 ) ( 2 )( 2 3 ) = 1 2 + 2 + 4 6 2 = 5 2 + 2 + 1 = 5 2 2 1
=
1 2
2 2 3 + 1
2 2 3 + 1
2 2 3 + 1 2 2 + 3 1
2 1 2

Substituting these values of x and y (in terms of ) into the constraint equation, we obtain
2

4 2 5 + 2
4 2 5 + 2 5 2 2 1 4 2 5 + 2 5 2 2 1
5 2 2 1
2 2 3 + 1 + 4 2 2 3 + 1 2 2 + 3 1 5 2 2 3 + 1 + 2 2 2 + 3 1 3 2 2 + 3 1 = 0

Once we solve this for , we can then find x and y, since we know both of these in terms of . Yea right!
Maple can solve this easily, but the answer written in terms of radicals take pages to write down. Asking
Maple to numerically evaluate the solutions to the above expression yields two complex solutions and two
real solutions for . The real solutions are approximately:

1 = 0.70819936922877931554150204524760371372
&
2 = 0.0247649001016962856019622153374184062
The first of these yields :
x=

412 51 + 2
= 0.086386832290197760432
2
21 + 31 1

512 21 1
= 0.14423469834343252484
y=

212 + 31 1

( 0.08638683229, 0.14423469834 )

And the second yields:

x=

42 2 52 + 2
= 1.9688113471101893878
2
22 + 32 1

52 2 22 1
= 0.89528903067822317198
y=
2

22 + 32 1

(1.96881134711,

0.89528903068 )

So its clearly 2 that yields the closest point on the constraint curve to the point (2,1).

The graph of the hyperbola

x 2 + 4 xy 5 x + 2 y 2 3 y = 0 (in blue)
along with the point (2,1) (in green) and the
points on the hyperbola closest to that point
(in red):
Notice that in addition to our solution, the other solution represents a relative minimum
distance; this consists of the closest point on the other branch of the hyperbola. So weve
also found the closest point on that branch of the hyperbola to the point (2,1).

3. You need to construct a tank consisting of a right circular cylinder

with height h and radius r, topped with a hemispherical top, and
with a flat base, as shown in the figure. If the material for the
hemispherical top costs $20/m2, and the material for the cylindrical
side costs $8/m2, and material for the circular bottom costs $5/m2,
find the value of r and h that minimize the cost of the materials
for this tank, assuming that the volume must be 200 m3.
equal?
Then what does the ratio h
diameter
$
The area of the top hemisphere is 2 r 2 , so it will cost ( 2 r 2 [ m ]) 20 = 40 r 2 [$] .
m
$
The area of the cylindrical side is 2 rh , so it will cost ( 2 rh [ m ]) 8 = 16 rh [$] .
m
$
The area of the circular bottom is r 2 , so it will cost ( r 2 [ m ]) 5 = 5 r 2 [$] .
m
We seek to minimize the overall cost function,
C = 40 r 2 + 16 rh + 5 r 2 = 45 r 2 + 16 rh = r ( 45r + 16h )
C ( r , h ) = r ( 45r + 16h ) ,
subject to the constraint equation (which we first concoct, based on the volume constraint):
1 4
2
2
V = 200 = r 3 + r 2 h = r 3 + r 2 h 200 = r 3 + r 2 h 600 = 2r 3 + 3r 2 h
2 3
3
3
G ( r , h ) = 2r 3 + 3r 2 h = r 2 ( 2r + 3h ) = 600
Then C = G at the extreme values of C on a level curve of G . Calculating the gradients, and setting
up the Lagrange multiplier equations, we get:
6r 2 + 6rh
2 ( r + h )
& G =
= 3r

2
r

3r

90r + 16h
45r + 8h
C =
= 2

16r
8r
2 ( 45r + 8h ) = 6 r ( r + h )
16 r = 3 r 2

( 45r + 8h ) = 3 r ( r + h )
16
r=
3

16
16

+ 8h = 3
3
3

45

720 256

= 16h 8h
3
3

16

+ h
3

464
= 8h
3

16
16

45
+ 8h = 3
3
3

16

+ h

45 16
16 16
+ 8h =
+ 16h
3
3

8 58
=h
8 3

h=

58
3

We can already answer this question! The ratio of the height h to the diameter 2r can be easily calculated:
58

29
h
3 58 3 58 3
=

=
=

=
16
2r
16 3 32
3 32
2