Chapter 14: Problem 14
Find all the local maxima, local minima, and saddle points of the functions in Exercises \(1-30 .\) $$ f(x, y)=x^{3}+3 x y+y^{3} $$
Short Answer
Expert verified
The function has a local maximum at \((-1, -1)\) and a saddle point at \((0, 0)\).
Step by step solution
01
Find the First Partial Derivatives
To locate the critical points of the function \( f(x, y) = x^{3} + 3xy + y^{3} \), first find the partial derivatives with respect to \( x \) and \( y \). The partial derivative of \( f \) with respect to \( x \) is:\[ f_x = \frac{\partial}{\partial x} (x^{3} + 3xy + y^{3}) = 3x^{2} + 3y. \]The partial derivative of \( f \) with respect to \( y \) is:\[ f_y = \frac{\partial}{\partial y} (x^{3} + 3xy + y^{3}) = 3x + 3y^{2}. \]
02
Solve the System for Critical Points
Set the partial derivatives equal to zero to find the critical points:1. \( 3x^{2} + 3y = 0 \)2. \( 3x + 3y^{2} = 0 \)Solving these simultaneously:\[ x^{2} + y = 0 \] implies \( y = -x^{2} \).Substitute into the second equation:\[ x + (-x^{2})^{2} = 0 \rightarrow x + x^{4} = 0 \]\[ x(1 + x^{3}) = 0 \]Thus, \( x = 0 \) or \( x = \sqrt[3]{-1} \). Correspondingly, \( y = 0 \) for \( x = 0 \), and \( y = -(-1)^{2/3} = -1 \) for \( x = -1 \). So, we have the potential critical points \( (0, 0) \) and \( (-1, -1) \).
03
Calculate the Second Partial Derivatives
To classify the critical points, we find the second partial derivatives:\[ f_{xx} = \frac{\partial^2 f}{\partial x^2} = 6x \]\[ f_{yy} = \frac{\partial^2 f}{\partial y^2} = 6y \]\[ f_{xy} = f_{yx} = \frac{\partial^2 f}{\partial x \partial y} = 3 \]
04
Determine the Nature of Each Critical Point
Compute the Hessian determinant at each critical point:\[ H = f_{xx}f_{yy} - (f_{xy})^2 = (6x)(6y) - (3)^2 \]For \( (0, 0) \):\[ H = (6 \times 0)(6 \times 0) - 9 = -9 \]Since \( H < 0 \), \( (0, 0) \) is a saddle point.For \( (-1, -1) \):\[ H = (6 \times -1)(6 \times -1) - 9 = 36 - 9 = 27 \]Since \( H > 0 \) and \( f_{xx} = -6 < 0 \), \((-1, -1)\) is a local maximum.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Partial Derivatives
In calculus, partial derivatives play a crucial role when working with multivariable functions. A partial derivative represents the rate of change of a function with respect to one variable, while keeping other variables constant. For the function \[ f(x, y) = x^3 + 3xy + y^3 \] we calculate the partial derivatives with respect to \( x \) (by treating \( y \) as a constant) and with respect to \( y \) (by treating \( x \) as a constant).
- The partial derivative with respect to \( x \) is \( f_x = 3x^2 + 3y \).
- The partial derivative with respect to \( y \) is \( f_y = 3x + 3y^2 \).
Hessian Determinant
The Hessian determinant helps classify the nature of critical points found from partial derivatives. It is derived from the second partial derivatives of a function. For a function \( f(x, y) \), the Hessian determinant \( H \) is given by:\[H = f_{xx}f_{yy} - (f_{xy})^2.\]The sign of \( H \) determines the nature of each critical point.
- If \( H > 0 \) and \( f_{xx} > 0 \), the point is a local minimum.
- If \( H > 0 \) and \( f_{xx} < 0 \), the point is a local maximum.
- If \( H < 0 \), the point is a saddle point.
- If \( H = 0 \), further analysis is needed, as the test is inconclusive.
Local Maxima
Local maxima occur at points where a function reaches a peak in a small neighborhood around those points. These points are higher than any other nearby values, but not necessarily the highest point in the entire domain. To determine a local maximum, we use the Hessian determinant in conjunction with the second partial derivative test.In our exercise, \( (-1,-1) \) was identified as a local maximum:
- The Hessian \( H = 27 \) at this point is positive.
- We also found \( f_{xx} = -6 \) which is less than zero, confirming a peak.
Saddle Points
Saddle points are interesting critical points where the function does not have a local extremum. A saddle point occurs where the graph of the function flattens before changing direction. Here, the value at a saddle point is neither a peak (maximum) nor a trough (minimum).In mathematical terms, a saddle point is where the Hessian determinant \( H \) is negative using our second derivative test.For the function we analyzed, the point \((0, 0)\) was determined to be a saddle point because:
- The Hessian determinant \( H = -9 \) indicating that the changes in slope cancel each other out, creating this characteristic shape.