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In mathematical analysis, the maximum and minimum [a] of a function are, respectively, the greatest and least value taken by the function. Known generically as extremum , [ b ] they may be defined either within a given range (the local or relative extrema) or on the entire domain (the global or absolute extrema) of a function.
A continuous function () on the closed interval [,] showing the absolute max (red) and the absolute min (blue).. In calculus, the extreme value theorem states that if a real-valued function is continuous on the closed and bounded interval [,], then must attain a maximum and a minimum, each at least once.
After establishing the critical points of a function, the second-derivative test uses the value of the second derivative at those points to determine whether such points are a local maximum or a local minimum. [1] If the function f is twice-differentiable at a critical point x (i.e. a point where f ′ (x) = 0), then:
The Lagrange multiplier theorem states that at any local maximum (or minimum) of the function evaluated under the equality constraints, if constraint qualification applies (explained below), then the gradient of the function (at that point) can be expressed as a linear combination of the gradients of the constraints (at that point), with the ...
Toggle Relation to maximum and minimum elements subsection. ... for any set , in the function space containing all functions from to , where if ...
Fermat's theorem gives only a necessary condition for extreme function values, as some stationary points are inflection points (not a maximum or minimum). The function's second derivative, if it exists, can sometimes be used to determine whether a stationary point is a maximum or minimum.
Any function that is concave and continuous, and defined on a set that is convex and compact, attains its minimum at some extreme point of that set. Since a linear function is simultaneously convex and concave, it satisfies both principles, i.e., it attains both its maximum and its minimum at extreme points.
If D(a, b) = 0 then the point (a, b) could be any of a minimum, maximum, or saddle point (that is, the test is inconclusive). Sometimes other equivalent versions of the test are used. In cases 1 and 2, the requirement that f xx f yy − f xy 2 is positive at ( x , y ) implies that f xx and f yy have the same sign there.