LECTURE-8

SECOND DERIVATIVE TEST

FOR CONCAVITY, LOCAL
MAXIMUM, MINIMUM

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Concavity
First derivative tells us where a function is increasing, where it is
decreasing and weather a local minimum or local maxima occurs at
a critical point. Now we see that the second derivatives gives us
information about how the graph of a differentiable function bends
or turns. This turning or bending behavior defines the concavity of
the curve.
Graph of
Concave Up function

If the graph of function is

above the tangent line, then it
is called concave up. Second Tangent
derivative is greater than zero lines

when the graph of function is

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concave up.
A function whose graph is concave up is also often called convex.

Concave Down
If the graph of function is below the tangent line, then it is called
concave down. Second derivative is less than zero when the graph
of function is concave down.

Tangent
lines

Graph of
function

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Point of Inflection
A point where concavity changes from concave up to concave
down or concave down to concave up.

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Second Derivative Test for Concavity
1. If f”(c) > 0, on interval (a, c) and (c, b), the graph of function over
(a, c) and (c, b) is concave up.
2. If f”(c) < 0, then the graph of function over (a, c) and (c, b) is
concave down.
3. (a) If f”(a)= 0 and f’(a)
then the point a is the point of inflection. For concavity
If f”(k1) > 0, then the graph of function over (a1, a) is concave up,
where k1 is any real number between a1 and a.
If f”(k1) < 0, then the graph of function over (a1, a) is concave
down.
If f”(k2) > 0, then the graph of function over (a, b1) is concave up,
where k2 is any real number between a and b1.
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 If f”(k2) < 0, then the graph of function over (a, b1) is concave
down.
b) If f”(c)= 0 and f’(c)
then nothing is ensured about the point. In this case, first we find
out the concavity of the curve in the interval (a, c) and (c, b), on the
basis of concavity we will decide point c is the local maximum, local
minimum or point of inflection. 
If f”(k1) > 0, then the graph of function over (a, c) is concave up,
where k1 is any real number between a and c.
If f”(k1) < 0, then the graph of function over (a, c) is concave down.
If f”(k2) > 0, then the graph of function over (c, b) is concave up,
where k2 is any real number between c and b.
If f”(k2) < 0, then the graph of function over (c, b) is concave down.
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If the concavity changes from concave up to concave down or vice-
versa then point is inflection point. If the graph of function is concave
up in both intervals then the point is local minimum. If the graph of
function is concave down in both intervals then the point is local
maximum. 

Second Derivative Test for Local Extreme

Values
Suppose f” is continuous on an open interval that contains x = c.
1. If f’(c)=0 and f”(c) < 0, then f has a local maximum at x = c.
2. If f’(c)=0 and f”(c) > 0, then f has a local minimum at x = c.
3. If f”(c)= 0 and f’(c) then nothing is ensured about the point. We
will use the same procedure as I discussed earlier in concavity.

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