Argmax of the product of positive functions

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Let $f(x), g(x) \geq 0$. Then, I want to know if the following is true

$$ \arg \max_x [f(x)g(x)] = \arg\max_x f(x) \cdot \arg\max_x g(x) $$

And how one can prove it.

I found a related question in this post but neither the notation nor the answer were clear enough for me.

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There are some serious differences between your question and the linked question. The linked question is indeed accurate, once you unpack the notation a little.

Explaining The Linked Question

The linked question is about maximising $3$ different function $f$, $g$, $h$, each with their own independent variable, over the respective domains of the functions. There is no need to assume that the domains are subsets of $\Bbb{R}$; they can be any three sets $X, Y, Z$, that may have nothing to do with each other.

The left hand side $$\DeclareMathOperator*{\argmax}{argmax} \argmax_{x,y,z} f(x) \cdot g(y) \cdot h(z)$$ refers to the set of points $(x, y, z) \in X \times Y \times Z$ such that $f(x)g(y)h(z)$ attains its maximum value. The right hand side is a product of argmaxes such as $\argmax_x f(x)$, which, in this case, is the set of points in $X$ that maximise $f(x)$. From context, this means the product between the sets on the right hand side is a Cartesian product, not a product of real numbers.

As a concrete example, let's define two functions (instead of three): $f : [-1, 1] \to [0, \infty)$ and $g : \Bbb{R} \to [0, \infty)$, where $f(x) = 1 - x^2$ and $g(y) = 1 + \cos(y)$. Then, I know that \begin{align*} \argmax_{x \in [-1, 1]} f(x) &= \{0\} \\ \argmax_{y \in \Bbb{R}} g(y) &= 2\pi\Bbb{Z} = \{\ldots, -4\pi, -2\pi, 0, 2\pi, 4\pi, \ldots\} \\ \argmax_{(x, y) \in [-1, 1] \times \Bbb{R}} f(x)g(y) &= \left(\argmax_{x \in [-1, 1]} f(x)\right) \times \left(\argmax_{y \in \Bbb{R}} g(y)\right) \\ &= \{0\} \times 2\pi\Bbb{Z} \\ &= \{\ldots, (0,-4\pi), (0,-2\pi), (0,0), (0,2\pi), (0,4\pi), \ldots\}. \end{align*}

That is, the function $(x, y) \mapsto f(x)g(y)$ achieves its maximum on the above set (which, in this case, is a subset of the Cartesian plane).

Your Question

While your notation is not 100% clear here, I imagine that $f(x)$ and $g(x)$ are real functions. This makes $f(x)g(x)$ a real function, and the argmax a subset of $\Bbb{R}$. This means that the right hand side cannot be a Cartesian product, as in the linked question. Instead, I imagine you're interpreting it using the Minkowski product: $$A \cdot B = \{ab : a \in A, b \in B\},$$ i.e. the set of all products you can form by taking one operand from each set. If $A = \{a\}$ for some $a$ and $B = \{b\}$ for some $b$, i.e. if the sets contain only one element, then naturally, the Minkowski product is $\{ab\}$. That is, if $f(x)$ and $g(x)$ are maximised uniquely at $x = a$ and $x = b$ respectively, then I imagine that you expect $f(x)g(x)$ to be uniquely maximized at $x = ab$.

This is not true. While plugging $x = a$ or $x = b$ into $f(x)$ or $g(x)$ respectively produces something of note, plugging in this third value $x = ab$ will produce nothing special.

As a concrete example, take $f(x) = 1 + \cos x$ and $g(x) = 1 - \cos x$, and to make things easier, consider it over the domain $[0, \pi]$. Then $$\argmax_x f(x) = \{0\}, \quad \argmax_y g(x) = \{\pi\}.$$ But, their product $f(x)g(x) = 1 - \cos^2(x) = \sin^2(x)$ is maxmised at $\pi/2$, i.e. $$\argmax_x f(x)g(x) = \left\{\frac{\pi}{2}\right\},$$ whereas $$\left(\argmax_x f(x)\right) \cdot \left(\argmax_x g(x)\right) = \{0 \cdot \pi\} = \{0\},$$ making the statement untrue in general.

Here's the best I can do in this direction. I know that if both functions happen to be maximised at the same time, then the product will be maximised! That is,

$$\left(\argmax_x f(x)\right) \cap \left(\argmax_x g(x)\right) \subseteq \argmax_x f(x) g(x).$$

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Counterexample:

Let $D=[0,1]$ and $f,g:D \to \mathbb R$ given by $f(x)=1-x $ and $g(x)=x.$

Then $\arg\max_x f(x)=0$ and $\arg\max_x g(x)=1$ and $\arg\max_x f(x)g(x)=1/2.$