Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2020/paper-1/14/d/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2020 Paper 1 14 d Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
The gradient is orthogonal to each regular level set and points towards increasing . Near either minimum, the linear approximation is , so arrows point away from the point. Near the maximum at the origin it is , so arrows point inwards. Near either saddle point it is : arrows point towards the vertical axis horizontally and away from the saddle vertically.
On the horizontal axis the gradient is . Its arrows point left on , right on , left on , and right on . On the vertical axis it isConsequently its arrows point down on , up on , down on , and up on . These directions, and representative arrows near each stationary point, appear in the right-hand panel. The gradient itself is zero at all five stationary points.
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