- published: 04 May 2015
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In mathematics, the maximum and minimum (plural: maxima and minima) of a function, known collectively as extrema (singular: extremum), are the largest and smallest value that the function takes at a point either within a given neighborhood (local or relative extremum) or on the function domain in its entirety (global or absolute extremum).
More generally, the maximum and minimum of a set (as defined in set theory) are the greatest and least element in the set. Unbounded infinite sets such as the set of real numbers have no minimum and maximum.
To locate extreme values is the basic objective of optimization.
A real-valued function f defined on a real line is said to have a local (or relative) maximum point at the point x∗, if there exists some ε > 0 such that f(x∗) ≥ f(x) when |x − x∗| < ε. The value of the function at this point is called maximum of the function. Similarly, a function has a local minimum point at x∗, if f(x∗) ≤ f(x) when |x − x∗| < ε. The value of the function at this point is called minimum of the function.