Thread: Help plotting maximum and minimum values on graph

Hello, I am going back to an unfinished homework assignment and I realized that I skipped this problem because my professor never covered it in class. I could use your help with the following problem:

Sketch the graph of the function f that is continuous on [1,5] and has:

• absolute minimum at 2
• absolute maximum at 3
• local minimum at 4

I understand that the [1,5] means that I will be plotting points between 1 and 5 on the x-axis, and that the maxima/minima are basically x values, but how do I figure out what their y values are?

Thank you!
Danni

There is more than one such function, so your question should probably read "... the graph of a function ...".

You are correct that [1,5] means all x, . I would draw the graph by first drawing the minimum and maximum at x=2 and 3, then the minimum (with y value between the two others) at x=4, then connecting them and extending to the whole interval (staying between the minimum and maximum at x=2 and 3).

I think you have to just pick convenient y-values - there's not a single correct answer (unless there's some additional information you didn't put in your post).

- Hollywood

Hi dannibambi!

You can pick any y values you like, as long as they fit your criteria.
Your graph would for instance look something like this graph.