Posts tagged relative minima
Critical points and the first derivative test

The optimization process is all about finding a function’s least and greatest values. If we use a calculator to sketch the graph of a function, we can usually spot the least and greatest values. The first part of the optimization investigation is about solving for critical points and then classifying them as representing local or global maxima or minima.

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Finding extrema (maxima and minima) over a closed interval

Extrema are points on a function where a maximum or minimum exists. It’s easy to identify the extrema of a function when we look at its graph, because we just look at high points and low points, but we need to be able to use math to calculate their exact coordinates.

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