Theorem 4.2, the Extreme-Value
Theorem:
Every continuous function f defined on a closed interval
[a, b] will attain both a global minimum and a
global maximum on [a, b].
Definition: Critical Point:
For a function f, a critical point x = c is
a point where either
- f ¢ (c) is
undefined, or
- f ¢ (c) =
0.
Theorem 4.1:
If f is defined on (a, b) and has a local
extremum at x = c in (a, b), then
if f ¢(c)
exists, f ¢(c) = 0.
Local extrema of continuous functions occur at critical
points or endpoints of an
interval.
The same must be true for global extrema.