5.

Using First Derivatives to Find

Maximum and Minimum Values

OBJECTIVE

Find relative extrema of a continuous

function using the First-Derivative Test.

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
DEFINITIONS:
A function f is increasing over I if, for every a and b
in I, if a < b, then f (a) < f (b).
(the graph rises from left to right.)
A function f is decreasing over I if, for every a and b
in I, if a < b, then f (a) > f (b).
(the graph falls from left to right)

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 2

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
THEOREM 1
If f(x) > 0 for all x in an interval I, then f is
increasing over I.
If f(x) < 0 for all x in an interval I, then is
decreasing over I.

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 3

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
DEFINITION:
A critical value of a function f is any number c in the
domain of f for which
f (c) = 0 or f (c) does not exist.

These are the x values where the function could

change from increasing to decreasing or vice-versa.
Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 4

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
DEFINITIONS:
Let c be a number in the domain of f :
f (c) is a relative minimum if there exists an open
interval (a,b) containing c such that f (c) f (x) for
all x in (a,b).
and
f(c) is a relative maximum if there exists an open
interval (a,b) containing c such that f (c) f (x) for
all x in (a,b).
Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 5

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
THEOREM 2
If a function f has a relative extreme value f (c) on an
open interval; then c is a critical value. So,
f (c) = 0 or f (c) does not exist.
Relative extrema will only occur at points where the
derivative is 0 or undefined.

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 6

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
THEOREM 3: The First-Derivative Test for
Relative Extrema
For any continuous function f that has exactly one
critical value c in an open interval (a, b);
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.
Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 7

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
THEOREM 3: The First-Derivative Test for
Relative Extrema (continued)
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.
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).
Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 8

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
Graph over the
interval (a, b)

f (c)

Sign of f (x) Sign of f (x) Increasing or

for x in (a, c) for x in (c, b) decreasing
Relative

+
Decreasing
minimum
on (a, c);
increasing on
(c, b)

Relative
maximum

Increasing on
(a, c);
decreasing
on (c, b)

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 9

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
Graph over the
interval (a, b)

f (c)
No
relative
maxima
or
minima

Increasing on
(a, b)

No
relative
maxima
or
minima
a

Sign of f (x) Sign of f (x) Increasing or

for x in (a, c) for x in (c, b) decreasing

Decreasing
on (a, b)

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 10

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
Example 1: For the function f given by
f (x) 2x 3 3x 2 12x 12.
find the relative extrema.

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 11

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
Example 1 (continued): Find Derivative
And set it to 0
6x 2 6x 12 0
x2 x 2
(x 2)(x 1)
x2

or

0
0
x 1

These two critical values partition the number line into

3 intervals: A ( , 1), B (1, 2), and C (2, ).
A

B
-1

C
2

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 12

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
Example 1 (continued):
analyze the sign of f (x) in each interval.
Interval

B
-1

Test Value

x = 2

x=0

x=4

Sign of
f (x)

Result

f is increasing f is decreasing on
on (, 1)
(1, 2)
Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

f is increasing
on (2, )
Slide 2.1- 13

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
Example 1 (concluded):
Therefore, by the First-Derivative Test,
f has a relative maximum at x = 1 given by
f (1) 2(1) 3(1) 12(1) 12 19
3

Thus, (1, 19) is a relative maximum.

And f has a relative minimum at x = 2 given by
f (2) 2(2)3 3(2)2 12(2) 12 8
Thus, (2, 8) is a relative minimum.
Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 14

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
Example 1 (continued):

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 15

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
Example 3: Find the relative extrema for the
Function f (x) given by
f (x) (x 2)2 3 1
Then sketch the graph.
First find f (x).

1 3
2
f (x) x 2
3
2
f (x) 3
3 x2

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 16

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
Example 3 (continued):
Then find 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.
So f (x) = 0 has no solution.
Thus, x = 2 is the only critical value.
Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 17

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
The critical number x = 2 partitions the number line
into 2 intervals: A ( , 2) and B (2, ).
So, analyze the signs of f (x) in both intervals.
Interval

Test Value

x=0

x=3

Sign of f (x)

Result

f is decreasing
on ( , 2)

f is increasing on
(2, )

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 18

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values

Therefore, by the First-Derivative Test,

f has a relative minimum at x = 2 given by
f (2) (2 2)

2 3

1 1

Thus, (2, 1) is a relative minimum.

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 19

Using First Derivatives to Find Maximum

and Minimum Values
We use the information obtained to sketch the
graph below, plotting other function values as
needed.

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 20

To find the local extrema and or absolute extrema of interval

that is not closed, we need to sketch the graph or use the
second derivative.

Important Note: Need to find out the critical values first before we
can apply the 2nd derivative test

Second Derivative Test

Theorem 3. Let f be continuous on interval I with only one
critical value c in I.
If f (c) = 0 and f (c) > 0, then f (c) is the absolute minimum
of f on I.

If f (c) = 0 and f (c) < 0, then f (c) is the absolute maximum

of f on I.

To try in class. Solutions in text.

1. f ( x) x 12 x 5
3

2. f ( x) ( x 2 3)e x

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

Slide 2.1- 24