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Near a nondegenerate stationary point, the quadratic part of the Taylor expansion determines the local contour plot. For a strict local maximum, the model $f=f_0-X^2-Y^2$ gives nested closed level sets, with values decreasing as one moves outward. For a strict local minimum, the model $f=f_0+X^2+Y^2$ gives the same nested shape with values increasing outward. Unequal nonzero quadratic coefficients stretch the circles into ellipses after a rotation to the Hessian matrix's eigenvectors.

For a nondegenerate saddle point of a scalar function, the model $f=f_0+X^2-Y^2$ gives hyperbolas. Levels above $f_0$ open along the positive-curvature direction; levels below $f_0$ open along the negative-curvature direction. The critical level set is the two crossing lines $Y=\pm X$. Degenerate stationary points can have different local geometry, so these are the standard nondegenerate sketches.

Set both first partial derivatives equal to zero:Thus $x=0,\pm 1/\sqrt{2}$ and $y=0,\pm \sqrt{2}$, independently, giving exactly nine stationary points. The Hessian matrix is diagonal everywhere:Its diagonal entries are its eigenvalues, so the second-derivative test immediately classifies the points:

In particular,All nine stationary points are nondegenerate, so no higher-order test is needed. Neither type of local extremum is global: $f(x,0)=x^4-x^2\to +\infty$ as $|x|\to \infty$, whereas $f(0,y)=-y^4+4y^2\to -\infty$ as $|y|\to \infty$.

To organize the contour plot, complete the squares:The level set through all four outer saddle points of a scalar function factors exactly:It is therefore the union of the circle $x^2+y^2=5/2$ and the hyperbola $y^2-x^2=3/2$, which cross at those four saddle points of a scalar function. Near the origin, $f=-x^2+4y^2+O((x^2+y^2{)}^2)$, so the zero contours have tangents $y=\pm x/2$. These two exact structural features, together with the nested contours around the four local extrema, determine the requested sketch. They are an example of a separable quartic landscape with nine stationary points.

Expand $u=3x^2-2xy+3y^2$. The Lagrange multiplier equations for $u-\lambda v$ are $(6-2\lambda )x-2y=0$ and $-2x+6y+\lambda =0$, together with the constraint $y=x^2-1/4$. The first two imply $y=(3-\lambda )x$ and $(6\lambda -16)x=\lambda$. The value $\lambda =8/3$ would make the latter equation inconsistent, so division is allowed:Insert these into $x^2-y-1/4=0$ and multiply by $(6\lambda -16{)}^2$. Simplification gives $2(3{\lambda }^3-21{\lambda }^2+48\lambda -32)=0$, henceThe gradient of the constraint $(2x,-1)$ is never zero, so the Lagrange multiplier condition is necessary at every constrained extremum. To establish a global minimum, parametrize the whole parabola by $y=x^2-1/4$. The restricted function becomesIt is coercive: $q(x)\to \infty$ as $|x|\to \infty$, so it attains a global minimum. Moreover $q^{\prime \prime }(x)=36(x-1/6{)}^2+2>0$, making it strictly convex and ensuring that this minimum is unique. This proves more than the permitted assumption of one real multiplier root.

The level sets of $u$ are nested ellipses centered at the origin. In the rotated coordinates $p=(x+y)/\sqrt{2}$, $q=(x-y)/\sqrt{2}$, they have equation $2p^2+4q^2=\text{constant}$, with the longer axis along $x=y$. The smallest one meeting the parabola is tangent to it at the unique minimizing point, approximately $(x,y)=(-0.12654,-0.23399)$, where $u\simeq 0.15307$ and $\lambda \simeq 1.15085$.

Set $H(x,y,z)=x^3+xy+yz-1$. The gradient $\nabla H=(3x^2+y,x+z,y)$ is a normal vector to its level set. Since $y\ge 1/2$ on the given patch, division by its last component is valid and gives the unique normalized fieldIts dot product with $\mathbf{k}$ is one, as required; it is not generally a unit vector.

The zero level set consists of the lines $x=1$ and $y=0$. The height is positive where $(x-1)y>0$ and negative where that product is negative. In each of the four resulting regions, closed nonzero contours surround its extremum; levels closer to zero extend further from the extremum towards the zero-level axes and towards large distance. The height tends to zero at infinity. The figure marks the four extrema and central saddle point, and includes the downhill path used below.

Multiply the quadratic form out directly:Thus $b=5$, $c=-6$ and $d=5$. Both eigenvalues are positive, so this is a positive-definite quadratic form; its positive unit level set is an ellipse. The next part exhibits its principal axes explicitly.

The cylinder is a level set of $h=x^2+y^2-8$, so its outward normal vector is parallel to $\nabla h=(2x,2y,0)$. At the point this is $(4,4,0)$, with norm $4\sqrt{2}$. Choosing the outward orientation givesIts negative is the equally valid inward unit normal vector; the next directional derivative then changes sign.

The partial derivatives are $g_x=\sin x$ and $g_y=y$, so all stationary points are $(n\pi ,0)$ for integers $n$. Their Hessian matrix is $\mathrm{diag}(\cos x,1)$. At even multiples of $\pi$ it is a positive-definite matrix, whereas at odd multiples it has one positive and one negative eigenvalue. ConsequentlyThere are no local maxima. Since both $1-\cos x$ and $y^2/2$ are nonnegative, these are also global minima. In the requested open plotting window, the stationary points are $(0,0)$ and $(\pm \pi ,0)$; the local minima at $(\pm 2\pi ,0)$ lie on excluded edges.

For a level set $g=c$, solving for the vertical coordinate givesFor $0<c<2$ these level sets are closed ovals around each local minimum. At $c=0$ the level sets shrink to the local minima. The level set through the saddle points iswhere the two signed branches together describe the same set as $y=\pm 2|\cos (x/2)|$. They cross at $(\pm \pi ,0)$ and reach $(0,\pm 2)$. The crossing slopes at a saddle point are $\pm 1$, as also follows from the local quadratic form $(-\delta x^2+\delta y^2)/2$. For $c>2$, the upper and lower level sets remain separate and extend across the plotting window without meeting the horizontal axis.

Write $f(x,y)=F(u,v)$ in the proposed local coordinates. The multivariable chain rule givesConsequentlyAway from the origin the Jacobian determinant is $u_x{v}_y-u_y{v}_x=4(x^2+y^2)>0$, so the inverse function theorem justifies these local coordinates. Therefore $F_v=0$ and the local general solution isSubstitution verifies the result: $f_x=2x{\Phi }^{\prime }$ and $f_y=-2y{\Phi }^{\prime }$, whose weighted sum vanishes.

There is a global qualification. The coordinate map is two-to-one, and a level set of $x^2-y^2$ has separate characteristic curve branches. A single profile on the entire plane does not follow without a branch-identification assumption. For example, take $f=\exp [-1/(x^2-y^2{)}^2]$ on the wedge $x>0$, $x^2>y^2$, and zero elsewhere. This is smooth, satisfies the equation, and has different values at $(1,0)$ and $(-1,0)$ despite equal $u$. The characteristic components of a hyperbolic first-order equation explain this obstruction. At the origin the coordinate map is singular and the original equation reads $0=0$; the boxed answer is the intended local form on a regular branch, or a global form under an additional identification of branches.

A constant real part $\mathrm{Re}\ln z=L$ means $\ln |z|=L$, so its level sets are the concentric circlesTheir radii are strictly positive. The real part is independent of the logarithm's branch, so there is no branch ambiguity in these circles.

For $\mathrm{Re}(1/z)=K$, the equation is $x=K(x^2+y^2)$. If $K\ne 0$, complete the square to obtainThese circles have centres on the real axis and are tangent to the imaginary axis at the excluded origin. Positive $K$ puts the circle to the right, negative $K$ to the left. The separate case $K=0$ gives the punctured imaginary axis $\boxed{x=0,y\ne 0}$. The sketch uses an open marker at the origin to emphasize that $1/z$ is never defined there.

For $a=-1$, the local minimum at the origin has $f=1$. Its full level set isThe connected component containing the minimum is just the isolated origin. The same level also has the outer branches $y=\pm \sqrt{x^4/2-x^2}$ for $|x|\ge \sqrt{2}$; these are different connected components, not curves approaching the origin.

Both saddle points $(\pm 1,0)$ have $f=e^{1/4}$. Their common level set factors asIts explicit equations are thereforeThe two parabolas cross at each saddle, explaining the change of contour connectivity there. Each displayed equation can be restricted to the square of part (ii) if only that sketch window is wanted.

Because the exponential function is strictly increasing, the level sets $f=L>0$ are exactly those of $G=\ln L$. For $a=1$ they satisfyThere are no contours for $L<1$, the level $L=1$ is the origin, and $L>1$ gives nested closed ovals symmetric about both axes. Their stronger fourth-power growth in $x$ makes them relatively narrower horizontally as the level rises.

For $a=-1$, the contour equation becomesThe central local minimum is surrounded by closed ovals for $1<L<e^{1/4}$, accompanied by outer open branches. At $L=e^{1/4}$, the level passes through the two saddle points $(\pm 1,0)$ and changes its connectivity. Levels $L<1$ have only outer branches, while levels above the saddle value have an upper and a lower branch. The sketch is restricted to the requested square; labels give $G=\ln f$, so they identify the corresponding contours of $f$ without exponentially large labels.

The exponential function is strictly positive, so the zero level set is determined entirely by its prefactor:This is a rectangular hyperbola with branches in the first and third quadrants.

The completed contour plot is shown in the right-hand panel. Its geometry follows from the symmetries $f(-x,-y)=f(x,y)$ and $f(y,x)=f(x,y)$, together with $f\to 0$ as $x^2+y^2\to \infty$. For orientation, the two local minima have value $-2e^{-3/2}$, the two local maxima have value $2e^{-1/2}$, and the saddle point has value one.

Negative level sets between $-2e^{-3/2}$ and zero form separate closed curves around the two local minima in the first and third quadrants. Positive level sets below one form a single closed curve enclosing the origin and both local maxima. At level one, a critical level set crosses itself at the origin and surrounds the two local maxima in two lobes. Between one and $2e^{-1/2}$, the level sets split into separate closed curves around those local maxima. The zero level set remains the two unbounded branches $xy=1/4$.

Near the origin, the Taylor expansion is $f=1-x^2-4xy-y^2+O((x^2+y^2{)}^2)$. Consequently the crossing directions at the saddle height satisfy $y=(-2\pm \sqrt{3})x$, giving the local shape of the critical level set.

In the positive quadrant, both components of the gradient are positive. Along $y=x$ the arrows point along $(1,1)$; near the horizontal axis they point mainly upwards, and near the vertical axis mainly rightwards. The level sets are the hyperbolas $xy=f/2$, including the coordinate axes for level zero. The gradient is orthogonal to each regular level set and points towards increasing values of $f$.

The most useful guide to the contour plot is the common saddle value. Direct polynomial factorization givesThus the level set $f=1/6$ is exactly the three complete linesTheir intersections are the three saddle points, and they enclose the origin in an equilateral triangle. Near the local minimum, the level sets are nearly circles because the leading term is $(x^2+y^2)/2$. For $0<c<1/6$, a closed contour surrounds the origin, while three separate open branches lie outside the triangular barrier. At the saddle level these components meet at the saddle points; above it the central closed contour has opened into the three outer channels.

The identity in polar coordinatesshows the rotation symmetry through $2\pi /3$. It identifies the function as the Hénon-Heiles potential and helps organize all three channels in the original sketch below. The dashed straight lines are the saddle level; labels on the other contours give $f$.

At each regular point, the gradientis normal to the level set and points towards increasing $f$. The arrows in the contour plot above show this direction; their lengths have been normalized to keep the outer arrows legible. Near the origin they point outwards, as expected for a local minimum. Near $(0,1)$, write $\eta =y-1$; the linear approximation is $\nabla f\simeq (3x,-\eta )$. Thus the arrows point away along the horizontal direction and towards the point along the vertical direction. The other two saddle points have the same behaviour after rotations through $2\pi /3$. All four stationary points have zero gradient, so no direction arrow is assigned at the points themselves.

The contour plot is symmetric under either $x\mapsto -x$ or $y\mapsto -y$, because $f$ depends only on their squares. Denote the three critical heights by $m=\frac{7}{2}\ln 3$, $h=\frac{1}{4}+\frac{7}{2}\ln (7/2)$ and $M=1+\frac{7}{2}\ln 3$, where $m<h<M$.

For $m<c<h$, the level set $f=c$ consists of separate closed curves around the two minima. At $c=h$ the branches meet at the two saddle points. For $h<c<M$, there is an inner closed curve surrounding the local maximum and an outer closed curve surrounding all five stationary points. At $c=M$ the inner curve shrinks to the origin; for $c>M$ only the outer closed curve remains. At each saddle point the critical level set crosses in the two directions determined byThe figure plots representative level sets, including the critical saddle height; its second panel adds the gradient directions requested below.

The gradient is orthogonal to each regular level set and points towards increasing $f$. Near either minimum, the linear approximation is $(8\delta x,\frac{7}{3}\delta y)$, so arrows point away from the point. Near the maximum at the origin it is $(-4\delta x,-\frac{5}{3}\delta y)$, so arrows point inwards. Near either saddle point it is $(-2\delta x,\frac{24}{7}\delta y)$: arrows point towards the vertical axis horizontally and away from the saddle vertically.

On the horizontal axis the gradient is $(4x(x^2-1),0)$. Its arrows point left on $x<-1$, right on $-1<x<0$, left on $0<x<1$, and right on $x>1$. On the vertical axis it isConsequently its arrows point down on $y<-1/\sqrt{2}$, up on $-1/\sqrt{2}<y<0$, down on $0<y<1/\sqrt{2}$, and up on $y>1/\sqrt{2}$. 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.

The level set $f=c$ can be rearranged, without changing its domain, asThe requested special contours are thereforeThe first is a parabola, the second a single point, and the last two intersecting straight lines. Moreoverwith equality only at $(0,1)$. Hence $(0,1)$ is a strict global maximum. At $(0,-1)$ the crossing critical contour separates sectors with values above and below $-1$, so it is a saddle point of a scalar function.

As a Hessian matrix check, $H_f(0,1)=\mathrm{diag}(-3,-1)$ is negative definite, while $H_f(0,-1)=\mathrm{diag}(-1,1)$ is indefinite. There is no stationary minimum.