302 Solutions for the Appendix

point, checking along the way that the terms of degree 1 drop out as they
should.8 Thus set
r
1
x= 1 + A, u = 0 + B, = a + C,
4a2
to find
v !2 !2
u r r
u 1 1
tB + 1 1 +A a 1 +A ( a + C)B)
4a2 4a2
s r r !
1 1 1 1 2
= +B 2A 1 A2 a 1 + 2A 1 + A + aB BC
4a2 4a2 4a2 4a2
0 r ! r !2 1
1 @ 1 2 2 1 1 1 A
= 1+ 4a B 8a A 1 4a2 A2 4a2 B 8a2 A 1
2a 2 4a2 8 4a2
r
1 1
a+ 2aA 1 aA2 + aB BC + o(A2 + B 2 + C 2 ).
4a 4a2
Indeed, the linear terms in A and B do vanish, and the quadratic terms are
(after a bit of computation)
p
a(4a2 1)A2 + a3 B 2 2a2 4a2 1AB + a3 B 2 BC
✓ ◆2
a 1 1
= a(4a1 1) A p (B + C)2 + (B C)2 .
4a2 1 4 4
Recall that a > 1/2, so this quadratic form has signature (2, q
1), represent-
ing a minimum, as was required. Note that for the point 1 + 4a12 the
computation is the same, just interpreting the square root throughout as
the negative square root.
In the case a < 1/2, we need the other possible , namely
✓ ◆ ✓ ◆
x x
= p , since y = 1/2a > 0.
u 1 + u x2
This leads to
0 1
x p
Lfe,Fe @ u A = + u + 1 x2 ax2 u.

Rather surprisingly, this leads to the Taylor polynomial

0 r ! r !2 1
1 @ 1 1 1 1 A
1+ 4a2 B 8a2 A 1 4a2 A2 4a2 B 8a2 A 1
2a 2 4a2 8 4a2
r
1 1
a+ 2aA 1 aA2 + aB BC + o(A2 + B 2 + C 2 );
4a 4a2
8
In the earlier part of part b we did not use Taylor polynomials, but it probably
would have been easier to do so.