Maximum and Minimum Function Values

Second Semester AY 2018-2019

Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
University of the Philippines Baguio
Relative Extrema
The function f has a relative maximum value at the number c if
there exists an open interval containing c, on which f is defined such
that f (c) ≥ f (x) for all x in this interval.
3 y

−3 −2 −1 1 2 3 4 5

−1

−2

−3

−4

The function f has a relative minimum value at the number c if

there exists an open interval containing c, on which f is defined such
that f (c) ≤ f (x) for all x in this interval.
Maximum and Minimum Function Values
 Theorem 1
If f (x) exists for all values of x in the open interval (a, b), and if f
has a relative extremum at c, where a < c < b, and if f 0 (c) exists, then
f 0 (c) = 0.

Example 2
Consider the following functions.

a. f (x) = x2 − 1 c. h(x) = |x|

3
√
b. g(x) = (x − 1) d. p(x) = 3 x

Maximum and Minimum Function Values

Relative Extrema

Remarks.
1. It is possible that f 0 (c) = 0 even if f does not have a relative
extremum at c.
2. A function f may have a relative extremum at c where f 0 (c) fails
to exist.
3. It is also possible that f 0 (c) may fail to exist and there is no
relative extremum at c.

Maximum and Minimum Function Values

Relative Extrema

If c is a number in the domain of the function f , and if either

f 0 (c) = 0 or f 0 (c) does not exist, then c is a critical number of f .
Example 3
Find the critical numbers of the following functions:

a. f (x) = 2x3 − 2x2 − 16x + 1 c. h(x) = (x − 1)3/2 + x

b. g(x) = sin x cos x

Maximum and Minimum Function Values

Absolute Extrema
The function f has an absolute maximum value on an interval if
there is some number c in the interval such that f (c) ≥ f (x) for all x
in the interval.
3 y

−3 −2 −1 1 2 3 4 5

−1

−2

−3

−4

The function f has an absolute minimum value on an interval if

there is some number c in the interval such that f (c) ≤ f (x) for all x
in the interval.
Maximum and Minimum Function Values
Absolute Extrema

Example 4

a. f (x) = x − 2, [1,4) 1
c. h(x) = , [-2,2]
b. g(x) = −x2 , (-3, 2] x

Maximum and Minimum Function Values

 Theorem 5
Extreme-Value-Theorem If the function f is continuous on the
closed interval [a, b], then f has an absolute maximum and an absolute
minimum value on [a, b].

Procedure in finding the absolute extrema of continuous

functions
a. Find the critical numbers of f on (a, b).
b. Find the function values at the critical numbers of f on (a, b).
c. Find the values of f (a) and f (b).
d. The largest (or smallest) of the values from steps (a) and (b) is the
absolute maximum (or minimum) value.

Maximum and Minimum Function Values

Absolute Extrema

Example 6
Find the absolute extrema of the following functions on the given
interval.
a. f (x) = x3 − 12x − 1 on [−2, 3].
b. g(x) = x4 − 8x2 + 16 on [−4, 0], [−3, 2], and [−1, 4].
c. h(x) = cos x on [−π, π].

Maximum and Minimum Function Values

Applications of Absolute Extrema
Example 7
The sum of two nonnegative numbers is 16. What is the smallest
possible value of the sum of their squares?

Example 8
For several weeks, the highway department has been recording the
speed of freeway traffic flowing past a certain downtown exit. The
data suggest that between the hours of 1:00 and 6:00 P.M. on a
normal weekday, the speed of traffic at the exit is approximately

S(t) = t3 − 10.5t2 + 30t + 20

miles per hour, where t is the number of hours past noon.

At what time between 1:00 and 6:00 P.M. is the traffic speed
maximum?

Maximum and Minimum Function Values