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.
Read MoreFor example, these are all things we can find by applying the optimization process to the real world: the dimensions of a rectangle that maximize or minimize its area or perimeter, the maximum product or minimum sum of squares of two real numbers, the time at which velocity or acceleration is maximized or minimized, the dimensions that maximize or minimize the surface area or volume of a three-dimensional figure, the production or sales level that maximizes profit, etc.
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