In
mathematical analysis, the
maxima and minima (the plural of
maximum and
minimum) of a
function, known collectively as
extrema (the plural of
extremum), are the largest and smallest value of the function, either within a given range (the
local or
relative extrema) or on the entire
domain of a function (the
global or
absolute extrema).
Pierre de Fermat was one of the first mathematicians to propose a general technique,
adequality, for finding the maxima and minima of functions.