How many turning points can a cubic function have?
1 Answer
Sep 6, 2014
Any polynomial of degree
Sometimes, "turning point" is defined as "local maximum or minimum only". In this case:
- Polynomials of odd degree have an even number of turning points, with a minimum of 0 and a maximum of
#n-1# . - Polynomials of even degree have an odd number of turning points, with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of
#n-1# .
However, sometimes "turning point" can have its definition expanded to include "stationary points of inflexion". For an example of a stationary point of inflexion, look at the graph of
If we go by the second definition, we need to change our rules slightly and say that:
- Polynomials of degree 1 have no turning points.
- Polynomials of odd degree (except for
#n = 1# ) have a minimum of 1 turning point and a maximum of#n-1# . - Polynomials of even degree have a minimum of 1 turning point and a maximum of
#n-1# .
So, in part, it depends on the definition of "turning point", but in general most people will go by the first definition.