second derivative test

(1.7 hours to learn)

Summary

In an optimization problem, a critical point (where the partial derivatives are zero) may be a local minimum or maximum, or a saddle point. The second derivative test is a way of testing optimality: a point is a (local) minimum if the Hessian matrix is positive definite.

Context

This concept has the prerequisites:

Core resources (read/watch one of the following)

-Paid-

Supplemental resources (the following are optional, but you may find them useful)

-Free-

MIT Open Courseware: Multivariable Caclulus (2010)
Video lectures for MIT's introductory multivariable calculus class.
Author: Denis Auroux

-Paid-

See also

-No Additional Notes-