How do you minimize and maximize f(x,y)=(x-y)/((x-2)^2(y-4))f(x,y)=xy(x2)2(y4) constrained to xy=3xy=3?

1 Answer
Jun 2, 2016

Local maximum located at (x = -4.89184, y =-0.613266)(x=4.89184,y=0.613266)

Explanation:

We will be looking for stationary points with posterior qualification.
This technique consists in finding points such that the normal vector to the objective function

f(x,y)=(x - y)/((x - 2)^2 (y - 4))f(x,y)=xy(x2)2(y4)

and the restriction function

g(x,y)=x y - 3 = 0g(x,y)=xy3=0

are aligned. Formally speaking, there exists lambdaλ such that

grad f(x,y)+lambda grad g(x,y) = vec 0f(x,y)+λg(x,y)=0

proceeding this way we obtain the equation set

{ (-((2 + x - 2 y)/((x-2)^3 (y-4))) +lambda y=0),( ( 4 - x)/((x-2)^2 (y-4)^2) + lambda x=0), (x y-3=0) :}

Without much effort can be obtained the unique real solution

(x = -4.89184, y =-0.613266, lambda= 0.00179817)

Qualifying this point must be done considering the restriction so the easiest way to do that is substituting the restriction g(x,y) into the
objective function f(x,y) obtaining

(f_g) (x) =(3 - x^2)/((x-2)^2 (4 x-3))

then we can verify that d/(dx)(f_g) (-4.89184) = 0
and

d^2/(dx^2)(f_g) (-4.89184)= -0.000965087

qualifying this point as a local maximum.

Attached are two figures. One representing the surface intersection of f(x,y) and g(x,y) and the other showing the function (f_g) (x)

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