# Proving that a function is bounded

This is one part of an exercise in my homework, which for some reason I can't think of any way to prove.

$\displaystyle f(x,y)=\frac{xy^2}{x^2+y^4}$, if $(x,y)\neq (0,0)$ and $0$ otherwise.

I'm trying to prove that this function is bounded. I have figured that I only need to prove it for $x\geq 0$, since $f(x,y)=-f(-x,y)$, but I can't really get around to why this is bounded near $0$.

Thanks for the help.

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Have you tried letting $z=y^2$? –  Kimball Jun 8 '11 at 0:01

Hint: $(x-y^2)^2 \ge 0$ ${}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}$

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+1. This is a really elegant hint. You might want to replace $>$ with $\ge$ –  user17762 Jun 8 '11 at 0:06
@Sivaram: I noticed it about the same time. Fixed. –  Ross Millikan Jun 8 '11 at 0:08
@Leonardo Once you have solved the problem using the hint, you might want to look into the arithmetic-geometric inequality, which is a generalization of the idea behind the hint, and a useful tool to have in your arsenal. –  Aaron Jun 8 '11 at 0:12
@Aaron I'm well aware of that, thanks. Great hint, the answer comes practically for free. –  Leonardo Fontoura Jun 8 '11 at 0:29
It took me a second to see what you were getting at, but I really appreciate this hint. Nicely constructed. –  mixedmath Jun 8 '11 at 1:18