Analyzing the Cubic Landscape
To understand the behavior of the function g(x)=max0≤t≤x{f(t)}, we first analyze the inner function f(t)=t3−6t2+9t−3.
We determine the critical points by calculating the derivative:
f′(t)=3t2−12t+9
Setting the derivative to zero, we obtain:
3(t2−4t+3)=0⇒3(t−1)(t−3)=0
The critical points are located at t=1 and t=3. Evaluating the function at these points and the boundary t=0, we find:
f(0)=−3, f(1)=1, and f(3)=−3.
The function climbs from −3 to 1 on the interval [0,1] and descends from 1 to −3 on the interval [1,3].
Constructing the High-Water Mark
We now define g(x) based on the running maximum of f(t).
For
x∈[0,1], the function
f(t) is strictly increasing. Therefore, the maximum value is the current value:
g(x)=x3−6x2+9x−3
For
x∈(1,3], the function
f(t) decreases from
1 to
−3. Since
g(x) tracks the maximum value encountered, it remains constant at the peak value:
g(x)=1
For
x∈(3,4], the function is defined by the linear descent:
g(x)=4−x
The Test of Smoothness
We examine the differentiability of the piecewise function g(x) at the transition points x=1 and x=3.
At x=1:
The left-hand derivative is f′(1)=3(1)2−12(1)+9=0.
The right-hand derivative is the derivative of the constant 1, which is 0.
Since the derivatives match, the function is differentiable at x=1.
At x=3:
The left-hand derivative is 0 (the derivative of the constant 1).
The right-hand derivative is the derivative of 4−x, which is −1.
Since $0
eq -1$, the function is not differentiable at x=3.
Consequently, there is exactly 1 point of non-differentiability in the interval (0,4).