Is Lagrange multipliers and (multivariable) extreme value theorem related

extreme-value-theoremlagrange multiplier

I couldn't find a question answering this concept but they seem to be related.

Extreme Value Theorem (two variables)

If f is a continuous function defined on a closed and bounded set
$A⊂\mathbb{R}^2$, then f attains an absolute maximum and absolute
minimum value on A.


Lagrange Multipliers (two variables)

Extreme values of function f(x, y) subject to constraints g(x, y) = k has solutions in $\nabla f=\lambda \nabla g$.

The constraint in Lagrange Multipliers creates a closed and bounded region that would satisfy EVT, does it not? So does that make Lagrange multipliers a specific case of EVT?

Best Answer

The technique of Lagrange Multipliers cannot be classified as a "special case" of the EVT. Note that the constraint $g$ in an optimization problem may not yield a closed and bounded set to optimize across, so the extreme value theorem may not apply even when the technique of Lagrange multipliers can still find absolute extrema. Take for example the constraint $g(x, y) = x^2 - y^2 = 1$, which is a hyperbola and is certainly not bounded. Nevertheless, absolute extrema may still exist (since the EVT only gives a sufficient condition for there to be an absolute min and max). This is the case when the function we seek to minimize is $$f(x, y) = x^2 + y^2$$ whose absolute minimum on the constraint is attained at $(x, y) = (1, 0)$. You can verify for yourself that there is a solution to $\nabla f = \lambda \nabla g$ with these values of $x$ and $y$.

That being said, in many (maybe even most problems you encounter) both the EVT and Lagrange Multipliers apply.

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