Contour Plots and Critical Points
Part 4: Summary
Explain how you can identify a local maximum or a local minimum of
f(x,y)
from a contour plot of the function.
Explain how you can identify a saddle point of
f(x,y)
from a contour plot of the function.
Summarize the steps in our method for finding precise coordinates of a critical point by using the second-degree Taylor approximation.
Why would it not work to use the first-degree approximation in place of the second-degree approximation in this process?
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Copyright CCP and the author(s), 1999