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  2. Fermat's theorem (stationary points) - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermat's_theorem...

    In mathematics, Fermat's theorem (also known as interior extremum theorem) is a method to find local maxima and minima of differentiable functions on open sets by showing that every local extremum of the function is a stationary point (the function's derivative is zero at that point). Fermat's theorem is a theorem in real analysis, named after ...

  3. Calculus of variations - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calculus_of_Variations

    v. t. e. The calculus of variations (or variational calculus) is a field of mathematical analysis that uses variations, which are small changes in functions and functionals, to find maxima and minima of functionals: mappings from a set of functions to the real numbers. [a] Functionals are often expressed as definite integrals involving ...

  4. Stationary point - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stationary_point

    The stationary points are the red circles. In this graph, they are all relative maxima or relative minima. The blue squares are inflection points.. In mathematics, particularly in calculus, a stationary point of a differentiable function of one variable is a point on the graph of the function where the function's derivative is zero.

  5. Differential calculus - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_calculus

    The graph of a function, drawn in black, and a tangent line to that function, drawn in red. The slope of the tangent line equals the derivative of the function at the marked point. In mathematics, differential calculus is a subfield of calculus that studies the rates at which quantities change. [1] It is one of the two traditional divisions of ...

  6. Adequality - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adequality

    Adequality is a technique developed by Pierre de Fermat in his treatise Methodus ad disquirendam maximam et minimam[1] (a Latin treatise circulated in France c. 1636 ) to calculate maxima and minima of functions, tangents to curves, area, center of mass, least action, and other problems in calculus. According to André Weil, Fermat "introduces ...

  7. Maximum and minimum - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_and_minimum

    Maximum and minimum. Local and global maxima and minima for cos (3π x)/ x, 0.1≤ x ≤1.1. In mathematical analysis, the maximum and minimum[a] of a function are, respectively, the largest and smallest value taken by the function. Known generically as extremum, [b] they may be defined either within a given range (the local or relative extrema ...

  8. Derivative test - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derivative_test

    Derivative test. In calculus, a derivative test uses the derivatives of a function to locate the critical points of a function and determine whether each point is a local maximum, a local minimum, or a saddle point. Derivative tests can also give information about the concavity of a function. The usefulness of derivatives to find extrema is ...

  9. Lagrange multiplier - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrange_multiplier

    Lagrange multiplier. In mathematical optimization, the method of Lagrange multipliers is a strategy for finding the local maxima and minima of a function subject to equation constraints (i.e., subject to the condition that one or more equations have to be satisfied exactly by the chosen values of the variables). [1]