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Tuesday, September 29, 2026

📈 Maxima & Minima of Functions of Two Variables | f(x,y) = x³y²(1-x-y) | Engineering Math| Example 4 | Calculus

Maxima & Minima of f(x,y) = x³y²(1−x−y) | Step-by-Step Solution
📚 Engineering Mathematics ·

📈 Maxima & Minima of f(x,y) = x³y²(1−x−y)

A complete step-by-step solution to a repeated Anna University question from .

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📝 Question

Find the maxima and minima of the function f(x,y) = x³y²(1 − x − y).

Step 1: Expand and differentiate

f(x,y) = x³y² − x⁴y² − x³y³
fₓ = 3x²y² − 4x³y² − 3x²y³ = x²y²(3 − 4x − 3y)
f_y = 2x³y − 2x⁴y − 3x³y² = x³y(2 − 2x − 3y)

Step 2: Find the stationary points

Set fₓ = 0 and f_y = 0. Besides the lines x = 0 and y = 0, we need:

4x + 3y = 3    and    2x + 3y = 2

Subtracting gives 2x = 1, so x = 1/2 and y = 1/3.

Key stationary point: (1/2, 1/3). The points on the axes (x = 0 or y = 0) are also stationary, but the second-derivative test is inconclusive there.

Step 3: Second-order derivatives

A = fxx = 6xy² − 12x²y² − 6xy³
B = fxy = 6x²y − 8x³y − 9x²y²
C = fyy = 2x³ − 2x⁴ − 6x³y

Step 4: Test the point (1/2, 1/3)

ABCAC − B²Result
−1/9−1/12−1/81/144 > 0Maximum (A < 0)

Step 5: Maximum value

f(1/2, 1/3) = (1/2)³ (1/3)² [1 − 1/2 − 1/3] = (1/8)(1/9)(1/6)
Maximum value = 1/432 at (1/2, 1/3). The function has no local minimum from this test.

💡 Exam tip: the AC − B² test

  • AC − B² > 0 and A < 0: maximum
  • AC − B² > 0 and A > 0: minimum
  • AC − B² < 0: saddle point
  • AC − B² = 0: inconclusive

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