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/4/d/solution

On the unit circle the constraint gradient never vanishes. The Lagrange multiplier equations are
A nonzero solution of the first two equations requires
so or . Multiplying the first equation by , the second by , and adding shows . Thus each candidate value of equals its multiplier.
For , , giving . For , , giving . Since a continuous function attains its extrema on the compact set given by the unit circle and these exhaust the Lagrange multiplier candidates,
Each changes both coordinates together.

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