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4.16 Table of stationary points

We have the following table classifying the stationary points.

Stationary pointΔ\Deltafxxf_{xx}nature(1,2)(1,2)(1,-2)(1,-2)(-1,2)(-1,2)(-1,-2)(-1,-2)7272-72-72-72-7272726666-6-6-6-6local min.saddlesaddlelocal max.

On the Wolfram Alpha website, there is a facility to plot functions of two variables (with some limitations unless you pay for a full license). This can give you some idea for what the “shape” of the function is.