Using First Derivatives to Find

OBJECTIVES
Where the function is increasing or decreasing
Where do the relative extrema occur? What
are they?

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THEOREM 1

If f(x) > 0 for all x in an interval I, then f is strictly

increasing over I.
If f(x) < 0 for all x in an interval I, then f is strictly
decreasing over I.
Remarks:
(i) The above theorem is useful for finding the
relative extrema.
(ii) Especially, it can be used to do comparative
static analysis.

Method of determine if a function is

increasing or decreasing over an interval I
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 DEFINITION:
A critical value of a function f is any number c in the
domain of f for which the tangent line at (c, f (c)) is
horizontal or for which the derivative does not exist.
That is, c is a critical value if f (c) exists and
f (c) = 0 or f (c) does not exist.

Definitions of a critical value

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All the ci are

Graphical
meanings of critical values
critical values

c1 c2 c3 c4 c5 c6 c7 c8
1. f (c) = 0 at c1, c2, c4, c7, and c8. Graphically, this means
that the tangent line to the graph is horizontal for these
values.
2. f (c) does not exist at c3, c5, and c6. Graphically, the
tangent line is vertical at c3 and there is a corner point,
or sharp point, at both c5 and c6.
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 DEFINITIONS:
Let I be the domain of f :
f (c) is a relative minimum if there exists within I
an open interval I1 containing c such that
f (c) f (x) for all x in I1;
and
f(c) is a relative maximum if there exists within I
an open interval I2 containing c such that
f (c) f (x) for all x in I2.

Definition of a relative minimum and a

relative maximum
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relative Absolute
f(b) maximum maximum
maximam Absolute
f(c2) minimum
f(c3) relative
minimam minimum
f(c1)
a c1 c2 c3 b
The relative minimum f(c1) is the lowest point (c1,
f(c1)) at the graph of the function over a small
interval containing c1. Q: Is f(c3) a r-min?

Graphical meanings of relative maximum and

minimum
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 relative Absolute
f(b) maximum maximum
maximam Absolute
f(c2) minimum
f(c3) relative
minimam minimum
f(c1)
a c1 c2 c3 b
The relative maximum f(c2) is the highest point (c2,
f(c2)) at the graph of the function over a small
interval containing c2. Q: Is f(b) r-max?

Graphical meanings of relative maximum and

minimum
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THEOREM 2
If a function f has a relative extreme value f (c) on
an open interval containing c, then c is a critical
value. Namely,
f (c) = 0 or f (c) does not exist.
The necessary condition for f (c) to be relative
extreme value is f (c) = 0 or f (c) does not exist.
If the above necessary condition is not true (namely,
f (c) does exist and f (c) 0), then f (c) will not be
relative extreme value
The relative extrema of f(x) occurs at those x-values
for which f (x) = 0
Necessary condition for a relative Maximum
and Minimum (FOC)
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 If f(c) is a relative extrema, then
c is a critical value.
The converse is not true.

c1 c2 c3 c4 c5 c6 c7 c8
The function has horizontal tangent line or does not have
derivative at c1 to c8. Thus, c1 to c8 are critical values.
Since f(c6) is relative maxima, c6 is a critical value (f (c6) does
not exist)
Since f(c1) is relative maxima, c1 is a critical value (f (c1) = 0)
c3 is a critical value, f(c3) is neither relative maxima nor
relative minima. The similar claim is true for c8
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THEOREM 3: The First-Derivative Test for

Relative Extrema
Suppose that f that has one critical value c in an
open interval (a, b). Then,
F1. f has a relative minimum at c if f (x) < 0 on
(a, c) and f (x) > 0 on (c, b). That is, f is
decreasing to the left of c and increasing to the
right of c.

Sufficient condition for relative Maximum

and Minimum

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THEOREM 3: The First-Derivative Test for
Relative Extrema (continued)
F2. f has a relative maximum at c if f (x) > 0 on
(a, c) and f (x) < 0 on (c, b). That is, f is
increasing to the left of c and decreasing to the
right of c.
F3. f has neither a relative maximum nor a relative
minimum at c if f (x) has the same sign on (a, c)
and (c, b).

Sufficient condition for relative Maximum

and Minimum
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Graph over the f (c) Sign of f (x) Sign of f (x) Increasing or

interval (a, b) for x in (a, c) for x in (c, b) decreasing
Relative + Decreasing
minimum on (a, c];
increasing on
[c, b)

a c b

Relative Increasing on
+ (a, c];
maximum
decreasing
on [c, b)

a c b

Sufficient condition for relative Maximum

and Minimum
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 Graph over the f (c) Sign of f (x) Sign of f (x) Increasing or
interval (a, b) for x in (a, c) for x in (c, b) decreasing
No Decreasing
relative on (a, b)
maxima
or
minima
a c b Increasing on
(a, b)
No
relative
maxima + +
or
minima
a c b

Sufficient condition for relative Maximum

and Minimum
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Using the first derivative, we can find

The intervals on which the function f(x) is increasing
(increasing interval)
The intervals on which the function f(x) is decreasing
(decreasing interval)
The relative maximum and/or relative minimum
(extrema)

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 Steps
Step1: Find the domain of the function f (x) and its derivative
f (x);
Step 2: Find critical values (find where f (x) does not exist or
where f (x) = 0);
Step 3: Use the critical values to partition the domain into
several intervals. Choose test values from these intervals
and analyze the sign of the derivative of f(x) at these test
values.
Step 4: Then,
By Th 1, we obtain increasing and or decreasing intervals
By Th 3, we obtain the relative maximum and/or relative
minimum (extrema)
Using First Derivatives to Find where the function is
increasing or decreasing, Maximum and Minimum Values
and Sketch Graphs
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Example 1: Graph the function f given by

f (x) 2x 3 3x 2 12x 12.
and find the relative extrema, together with the
increasing and/or decreasing intervals.

Suppose that we are trying to graph this function but

do not know any calculus. What can we do? We can
plot a few points to determine in which direction the
graph seems to be turning. Lets pick some x-values
and see what happens.

finding the relative extrema, together with the

increasing and/or decreasing intervals
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 Example 1 (continued):

We can see some features of the graph

from the sketch. Now we will calculate the
coordinates of these features precisely.

Graphical method for finding the relative extrema,

together with the increasing and/or decreasing intervals
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Example 1 (continued):
Step 1: Find the domains of f (x) and f (x) , D1 and D2.
Obviously, D1 = D2 = (, +) since
f (x) 2x 3 3x 2 12x 12.
f (x) 6x 2 6x 12
Step 2: determine the critical value(s) {for which f (x)
does not exist or f (x) = 0} and then use them to
partition the domain of f (x) into several intervals.
(Since f (x) is a polynomial, there is no value where
f (x) does not exist. So, the only possibilities for
critical values are where f (x) = 0.)

Using the necessary and sufficient conditions

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 Example 1 (continued): f (x) 6x 2 6x 12
6x 2 6x 12 0
x2 x 2 0
(x 2)(x 1) 0
x2 or x 1

We have two critical values 1 and 2.

Using the necessary and sufficient conditions

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Solution (contnued):
Step 3: Use the critical values to partition the domain
into several intervals. Choose test values from these
intervals and analyze the sign of the derivative of f (x)
at these test values.
Use the two critical values of 1 and 2 to partition
the domain (-, ) into three intervals
A B C
A ( , 1), B (1, 2), and C (2, ).
-1 2

Choose 2, 0, and 3 as test values from the three intervals

and find the sign of f ( 2), f (0), and f (3) as shown in
the following table.

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Example 1 (continued):
Interval (, 1) 1 (1, 2) 2 (2, )
Test Value 3
2 0

Sign of f (x) f ( 2) = 24 f (0) = 12 f (3) = 24

(+) () (+)

Result 1 f is increasing f is decreasing f is increasing

(by Th1) on on [1, 2] on
(, 1] [2, )

Result 2 f (1) f (1)

(by Th2) = 19 = 8
r-max r-min

f (x) 2x 3 3x 2 12x 12. f (x) 6x 2 6x 12

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1. We have two critical value -1 and 2;

2. f is increasing on (, 1]and [2, ), decreasing on [1, 2]
3. The relative maximum is 19 which occurs at x = 1; the relative minimum is 8
which occurs at x= 2
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Example 2: Find the relative extrema together with
the decreasing and/or increasing intervals for the
Function f (x) given by
f (x) (x 2)2 3 1
Then sketch the graph.
Solution: 1st find the domain of f (x). The domain of f
(x) is (, )
2 1 3
f (x) x 2
3
2
f (x) 3
3 x2
Using the necessary and sufficient conditions
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Example 2 (continued):
2nd find the critical values {where f (x) does not exist
or where f (x) = 0}.
Note that f (x) does not exist where the denominator
equals 0. Since the denominator equals 0 when x =
2, x = 2 is a critical value.
f (x) = 0 where the numerator equals 0. Since 2 0,
f (x) = 0 has no solution.
Thus, x = 2 is the only critical value. 2
f ( x) 3
3 x2

Using the necessary and sufficient conditions

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 Example 2 (continued):
3rd x = 2 partitions the domain (, 2)(2, ) into 2
intervals: A ( , 2) and B (2, ). Then, analyze
the signs of f (x) in both intervals.
Interval (, 2) 2 (2, )
Test Value 0 3

Sign of f (x) f (0) < 0 f (2) >0

Result 1 f is decreasing on f is increasing on

(by Th1) (, 2] [2, )
Result 2 f (2) = 1
(by Th2) r-min

2 2 2 2
f (0) 0 f (3) 0 f(2) = 1
33 0 2 33 2 33 3 2 3
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Example 2 (continued):
Therefore, by the First-Derivative Test,
f has a relative minimum at x = 2 given by
f (2) (2 2)2 3 1 1

Using the necessary and sufficient conditions

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Example 2 (concluded):
We use the information obtained to sketch the
graph below, plotting other function values as
needed.

Using the necessary and sufficient conditions

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homework
Text book Page 227 Exercise 9.2 #2(b)
(1) Find the critical values;
(2) Find decreasing intervals and increasing intervals,
relative extrema by the frist derivative
(3) sketch the graph.

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