Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-year-1-of-the-computer-science-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2016/discrete-mathematics-continuous-mathematics-and-probability-resit/6/b/solution
Past exam of the year 1 of the computer science course of the University of Oxford 2016 Discrete mathematics, continuous mathematics and probability (resit) 6 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
The constraint is a compact set, so the continuous objective attains both extrema by the extreme value theorem. Use Lagrange multipliers with :Since the second component makes , the two equations give , or . Substitution into the constraint yieldswith matching signs. The objective values are thereforeThe constraint gradient never vanishes on the ellipse, so these are all the possible extrema. As a direct check, set , ; then and the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality gives , with equality at the same points.
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