In mathematics, maxima and minima, known collectively as extrema, are the largest value (maximum) or smallest value (minimum), that a function takes in a point either within a given neighbourhood (local extremum) or on the function domain in its entirety (global extremum).
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxima_and_minima
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxima_and_minima