Paper 1, Section II, E

Analysis I | Part IA, 2016

State the Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem. Use it to show that a continuous function f:[a,b]→Rf:[a, b] \rightarrow \mathbb{R} attains a global maximum; that is, there is a real number c∈[a,b]c \in[a, b] such that f(c)⩾f(x)f(c) \geqslant f(x) for all x∈[a,b]x \in[a, b].

A function ff is said to attain a local maximum at c∈Rc \in \mathbb{R} if there is some ε>0\varepsilon>0 such that f(c)⩾f(x)f(c) \geqslant f(x) whenever ∣x−c∣<ε|x-c|<\varepsilon. Suppose that f:R→Rf: \mathbb{R} \rightarrow \mathbb{R} is twice differentiable, and that f′′(x)<0f^{\prime \prime}(x)<0 for all x∈Rx \in \mathbb{R}. Show that there is at most one c∈Rc \in \mathbb{R} at which ff attains a local maximum.

If there is a constant K<0K<0 such that f′′(x)<Kf^{\prime \prime}(x)<K for all x∈Rx \in \mathbb{R}, show that ff attains a global maximum. [Hint: if g′(x)<0g^{\prime}(x)<0 for all x∈Rx \in \mathbb{R}, then gg is decreasing.]

Must f:R→Rf: \mathbb{R} \rightarrow \mathbb{R} attain a global maximum if we merely require f′′(x)<0f^{\prime \prime}(x)<0 for all x∈R?x \in \mathbb{R} ? Justify your answer.

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