TITLE: What is the relative maximum or minimum and the point of inflection?
QUESTION [6 upvotes]: $f(x) = ax^3+bx^2+cx +d$, determine a, b, c, and d such that the graph of $f$ has a extreme in $(0,3)$ and a point of inflection in $(-1,1)$.

When is a quadratic I know that the formula $V=(\frac{-b}{2a},\frac{-\triangle}{4a})$ gives the maximum or minimum of the function, but for $f(x) = ax^3+bx^2+cx +d$, not seems the same. I tried to make $f(x) = x(ax^2+bx+c) +d$ but doesn't work and for the point of inflection  I know that is the point of the second derivative is equal zero and change of the signal, but how I can make the function change in (-1,1)?

REPLY [8 votes]: An extremum on the graph is a point where the function is locally maximal or minimal, and occurs when $f'(x)=0$. A point of inflection is when the curvature changes sign, and occurs when $f''(x)=0$. 
So, we know that 
\begin{align}
f'(x)&=3ax^2+2bx+c,\\
f''(x)&=6ax+2b.
\end{align}
We want $f'(x)=0$ when $x=0$, and therefore we can see that $f'(x)_{x=0}=3a\cdot 0^2$ $+2b\cdot 0+c=c$, and therefore $c=0$. Also, we want $f''(x)=0$ when $x=-1$, and therefore we can see that $f''(x)_{x=-1}=-6a+2b=0$, and therefore $a=b/3$. So our function is now,
$$f(x)=ax^3+3ax^2+d.$$
Now, when $x=0$, $f(x)=3$, so we see that $d=3$, and when $x=-1$, $f(x)=1$, and so $a=-1$, which gives the function
$$f(x)=-x^3-3x^2+3.$$
However, to be more rigorous, you need to apply the first derivative test to each point under consideration to make sure that we are looking at a point of inflection, or a extremal point. Recall that the first derivative test says that: if $f(x)$ is continuous at a point $x_0$, then:
i) if $f'(x)>0$ on the left of $x_0$, and $f'(x)<0$ on the right of $x_0$, then we have a local maximum,
ii) if $f'(x)<0$ on the left of $x_0$, and $f'(x)>0$ on the right of $x_0$, then we have a local minimum,
iii) and if $f'(x)$ has the same sign on the left and the right of $x_0$, then we have a point of inflection.

REPLY [4 votes]: Extremum at $(0,3)$:
We need $f'(0) = 0$ and $f''(0) \ne 0$ for a local minimum or maximum at $x=0$, so
$$
f'(x) = 3ax^2 + 2bx + c \Rightarrow
f'(0) = c = 0 \\
f''(x) = 6ax + 2b \Rightarrow
f''(0) = 2b \ne 0
$$
then $f(0) = 3$ was required:
$$
f(0) = d = 3 
$$
Inflection point at $(-1, 1)$:
Further we need $f''(-1) = 0$, because the curvature
$$
k(x)= \frac{f''(x)}{(1+f'(x)^2)^{3/2}}
$$ 
is required to change sign for a point of inflection, and it has the same sign as $f''$, so
$$
f''(x) = 6ax + 2b \Rightarrow
f''(-1) = -6a + 2b = 0
$$
and $f(-1) = 1$ was required:
$$
f(-1) = -a + b -c + d = -a + b+3 = 1
$$
so we need to solve
$$
-6a + 2b = 0 \\
-a + b + 3 = 1
$$
which is equivalent to
$$
b = 3a \\
-a + 3a = -2 
$$
which is equivalent to
$$
a = -1 \\
b = -3
$$
Checking the solution:
This gives
$$
(a, b, c, d) = (-1, -3, 0, 3)
$$
which is the function
$$
f(x) = -x^3 - 3x^2 + 3
$$
It has the derivatives
$$
f'(x) = -3x^2 -6x \\
f''(x) = -6x - 6
$$
with $f'(0) = 0$, $f''(0) = -6 \ne 0$, $f(0) = 3$, so we have a local maximum at $(0,3)$.
Further it has $f''(-1) = 0$, $f(-1) = 1$. Then we have for $\epsilon > 0$
$$
f''(-1 - \epsilon) = -6(-1-\epsilon) - 6 = 6 \epsilon > 0 \\
f''(-1 + \epsilon) = -6(-1+\epsilon) - 6 = -6 \epsilon < 0
$$
so we have a change of sign of $f''$ and thus also for the curvature $k$ around $x=-1$, which makes $(-1,1)$ a point of inflection.