Ma116 Homework Exercises

Homework 9
Section 11.7 - 6,8,30,36,46

6, 8. Find the local maximum and minimum values and saddle point(s) of the function.
If you have three-dimensional graphing software, graph the function with a domain and
viewpoint that reveal all the important aspects of the function.

6. f (x, y) = x3 y + 12x2 − 8y

Solution:

f (x, y) = x3 y + 12x2 − 8y ⇒ fx = 3x2 y + 24x, fy = x3 − 8, fxx = 6xy + 24, fxy = 3x2 ,

fyy = 0. Then fy = 0 implies x = 2, and substitution into fx = 0 gives 12y + 48 = 0 ⇒
y = −4. Thus, the only critical point is (2, −4). D(2, −4) = (−24)(0) − 122 = −144 < 0, so
(2, −4) is a saddle point.

2 −2y 2
8. f (x, y) = xe−2x

Solution:
2 2 2 2 2 2
f (x, y) = xe−2x −2y ⇒ fx = (1 − 4x2 )e−2x −2y , fy = −4xye−2x −2y ,
2 2 2 2 2 2
fxx = (16x2 − 12)e−2x −2y , fxy = (16x2 − 4)ye−2x −2y , fyy = (16y 2 − 4)xe−2x −2y . Then
fx = 0 implies 1 − 4x2 = 0 ⇒ x = ±
21 , and substitution into fy = 0 ⇒ −4xy = 0 gives
are ± 2 , 0 . Now D
2 , 0 = (−4e−1/2 )(−2e−1/2 ) − 02 =
1 1


y = 0, so the critical points
8e > 0 and fxx 2 , 0 = −4e−1/2 < 0, so f 21 , 0
= 12 e−1/2 is a local maximum.
−1 1 1



D − 2
, 0 =
−1/2 −1/2 −1 1 −1/2 1 1 −1/2
2


(4e )(2e ) − 0 = 8e > 0 and fxx − 2 , 0 = 4e > 0, so f − 2 , 0 = 2 e is a
local minimum.

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 Ma116 Homework Exercises
Homework 9

30. Find the absolute maximum and minimum values of f on the set D.

f (x, y) = 4x + 6y − x2 − y 2 ,
D = {(x, y)|0 ≤ x ≤ 4, 0 ≤ y ≤ 5}

Solution:

fx (x, y) = 4−2x and fy (x, y) = 6−2y, so the only critical point is (2, 3) (which is in D) where
f (2, 3) = 13. Along L1 : y = 0, so f (x, 0) = 4x − x2 = −(x − 2)2 + 4, 0 ≤ x ≤ 4, which has a
maximum value when x = 2 where f (2, 0) = 4 and a minimum value both when x = 0 and
x = 4, where f (0, 0) = f (4, 0) = 0. Along L2 : x = 4, so f (4, y) = 6y − y 2 = −(y − 3)2 + 9,
0 ≤ y ≤ 5, which has a maximum value when y = 3 where f (4, 3) = 9 and a minimum value
when y = 0 where f (4, 0) = 0. Along L3 : y = 5, so f (x, 5) = −x2 + 4x + 5 = −(x − 2)2 + 9,
0 ≤ x ≤ 4, which has a maximum value when x = 2 where f (2, 5) = 9 and a minimum
value both when x = 0 and x = 4 where f (0, 5) = f (4, 5) = 5. Along L4 : x = 0, so
f (0, y) = 6y − y 2 = −(y − 3)2 + 9, 0 ≤ y ≤ 5, which has a maximum value when y = 3
where f (0, 3) = 9 and a minimum value when y = 0 where f (0, 0) = 0. Thus the absolute
maximum is f (2, 3) = 13 and the absolute minimum is attained at both (0, 0) and (4, 0),
where f (0, 0) = f (4, 0) = 0.

36. Find the point on the plane x − y + z = 4 that is closest to the point (1, 2, 3).

Solution:
p
Here the distance d from a point on the plane to the point (1, 2, 3) is d = (x − 1)2 + (y − 2)2 + (z − 3)2 ,
where z = 4 − x + y. We can minimize d2 = f (x, y) = (x − 1)2 + (y − 2)2 + (1 − x + y)2 , so
fx (x, y) = 2(x−1)+2(1−x+y)(−1) = 4x−2y−4 and fy = 2(y−2)+2(1−x+y) = 4y−2x−2.
Solving 4x − 2y − 4 = 0 and 4y − 2x − 2 = 0 simultaneously gives x = 35 and y = 43 , so the
only critical point is 35 , 43 . This point must correspond


to the minimum distance, so the
point on the plane closest to (1, 2, 3) is 35 , 43 , 11


3
.

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 Ma116 Homework Exercises
Homework 9

46. The base of an aquarium with given volume V is made of slate and the sides are made
of glass. If slate costs five times as much (per unit area) as glass, find the dimensions of the
aquarium that minimize the cost of the materials.

Solution:

The cost equals 5xy + 2(xz + yz) and xyz = V , so C(x, y) = 5xy + 2V (x + y)/(xy) =
5xy +2V (x−1 +y −1 ). q
Then Cx = 5y −2V x−2 , Cy = 5x−2V y −2 , fx = 0 implies y = 2V /(5x2 ),
fy = 0 implies x = 3 25 V = y. Thus the dimensions of the aquarium which minimize the
q
2/3
cost are x = y = 3 25 V units, z = V 1/3 25 .

Section 11.8 - 6,8,18,28

6, 8. Use Lagrange multipliers to find the maximum and minimum values of the function
subject to the given constraint(s).

6. f (x, y) = exy ; x3 + y 3 = 16

Solution:

f (x, y) = exy , g(x, y) = x3 + y 3 = 16, and ∇f = λ∇g ⇒ < yexy , xexy >=< 3λx2 , 3λy 2 >, so
yexy = 3λx2 and xexy = 3λy 2 . Note that x = 0 ⇔ y = 0 which contradicts x3 + y 3 = 16, so
we may assume x 6= 0, y 6= 0, and then λ = yexy /(3x2 ) = xexy /(3y 2 ) ⇒ x3 = y 3 ⇒ x = y.
But x3 + y 3 = 16, so 2x3 = 16 ⇒ x = 2 = y. Here there is no minimum value, since we can
choose points satisfying the constraint x3 + y 3 = 16 that make f (x, y) = exy arbitrarily close
to 0 (but never equal to 0). The maximum value is f (2, 2) = e4 .

8. f (x, y, z) = 8x − 4z; x2 + 10y 2 + z 2 = 5

Solution:

f (x, y, z) = 8x − 4z, g(x, y, z) = x2 + 10y 2 + z 2 = 5 ⇒ ∇f =< 8, 0, −4 >, λ∇g =

< 2λx, 20λy, 2λz >. Then 2λx = 8, 20λy = 0, 2λz = −4 imply x = λ4 , y = 0, and z = − λ2 .

2
2
But 5 = x2 + 10y 2 + z 2 = λ4 + 10(0)2 + − λ2 ⇒ 5 = λ202 ⇒ λ = ±2, so f has possible
extreme values at the points (2, 0, −1), (−2, 0, 1). The maximum of f on x2 + 10y 2 + z 2 = 5
is f (2, 0, −1) = 20 and the minimum is f (−2, 0, 1) = −20.

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 Ma116 Homework Exercises
Homework 9

18. Find the extreme values of f on the region described by the inequality.

f (x, y) = 2x2 + 3y 2 − 4x − 5, x2 + y 2 ≤ 16

Solution:

f (x, y) = 2x2 + 3y 2 − 4x − 5 ⇒ ∇f =< 4x − 4, 6y >=< 0, 0 > ⇒ x = 1, y = 0. Thus

(1, 0) is the only critical point of f , and it lies in the region x2 + y 2 < 16. On the boundary,
g(x, y) = x2 + y 2 = 16 ⇒ λ∇g =< 2λx, 2λy >, so 6y = 2λy ⇒ either y = 0 or √ λ = 3.
If y = 0, then x = ±4; if λ = 3, then 4x − 4 = 2λx ⇒√x = −2 and y = ±2 3. Now
f (1, 0) = −7, f (4, 0) = 11, f (−4, 0) = 43, and f (−2, √±2 3) = 47. Thus, the maximum
value of f (x, y) on the disk x2 + y 2 ≤ 16 is f (−2, ±2 3) = 47, and the minimum value is
f (1, 0) = −7.

28. Use Lagrange multipliers to give an alternative solution to the indicated exercise in
Section 11.7.

Exercise 36 - Find the point on the plane x − y + z = 4 that is closest to the point (1, 2, 3).

Solution:

Let f (x, y, z) = d2 = (x − 1)2 + (y − 2)2 + (z − 3)2 , then we want to minimize f subject to

the constraint g(x, y, z) = x − y + z = 4. ∇f = λ∇g ⇒
< 2(x−1), 2(y−1), 2(z −3) >= λ < 1, −1, 1 >, so x = (λ+2)/2, y = (4−λ)/2, z = (λ+6)/2.
Substituting into the constraint equation gives λ+2 2
− 4−λ
2
+ λ+6
2
= 4 ⇒ λ = 34 , so x = 53 ,
4 11
y = 3 , and z = 3 . This must
correspond to a minimum, so the point on the plane closest
to the point (1, 2, 3) is 35 , 43 , 11
3
.