Maxima and Minima Without Derivatives?

CADEDDU, LUCIO;LAI G.

2015-01-01

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Abstract

Is it really necessary to struggle with calculus tools (derivatives, etc.) for finding max- ima, minima, tangents to curves, and inflection points? Apparently not, since Pierre de Fermat was able to solve standard calculus problems almost fifty years before Leibniz and Newton invented the basic tools of calculus.