MIT18 02SC Notes 21
MIT18 02SC Notes 21
We will give the argument for why Lagrange multipliers work later. Here, we’ll look at
where and how to use them. Lagrange multipliers are used to solve constrained optimization
problems. That is, suppose you have a function, say f (x, y), for which you want to find
the maximum or minimum value. But, you are not allowed to consider all (x, y) while you
look for this value. Instead, the (x, y) you can consider are constrained to lie on some curve
or surface. There are lots of examples of this in science, engineering and economics, for
Local minima (or maxima) must occur at a critical point. This is a point where Vf = λVg,
and g(x, y, z) = c.
A box is made of cardboard with double thick sides, a triple thick bottom, single thick front
Answer: We did this problem once before by solving for z in terms of x and y and substi
tuting for it. That led to an unconstrained optimization problem in x and y. Here we will
z
y
x
The area of one side = yz. There are two double thick sides ⇒ cardboard used = 4yz.
The area of the front (and back) = xz. It is single thick ⇒ cardboard used = 2xz.
The area of the bottom = xy. It is triple thick ⇒ cardboard used = 3xy.
Thus, the total cardboard used is
w = f (x, y, z) = 4yz + 2xz + 3xy.
The fixed volume acts as the constraint. It forces a relation between x, y and z so they
can’t all be varied independently. The constraint is
V = xyz = 3.
Our first job is to set up the equations to look for critical points. Vf = (2z + 3y, 4z + 3x, 4y + 2x)
Vf = λVV, and V = 3
⇔ (2z + 3y, 4z + 3x, 4y + 2x) = λ(yz, xz, xy), xyz = 3
1
Next we solve these equations for critical points. We do this by solving for λ in each equation
(we call this solving symmetrically).
2z+3y
yz = λ 4z+3xxz = λ, 4y+2x
xy = λ, xyz = 3 ⇒ y2 + z3 = x4 + z3 = x4 + y2
2 4 3 2
⇒ y = x ⇒ x = 2y and z = y ⇒ z = 23 y
Now, xyz = 3 ⇒ 3y 3 = 3 ⇒ y = 1
Answer: x = 2, y = 1, z = 32 , w = 18.
Sphere example:
Minimize w = y constrained to x2 + y 2 + z 2 = 1.
2 = λx
xy = 1
We know this is a minimum because the minimum occurs either at a critical point or on the
boundary. In this case the boundary points are infinitely far out on the axes which gives a
2
MIT OpenCourseWare
http://ocw.mit.edu
For information about citing these materials or our Terms of Use, visit: http://ocw.mit.edu/terms.