Given the function \(\displaystyle{f{{\left({x}\right)}}}={\frac{{{1}}}{{{12}}}}{x}^{{{4}}}+{\frac{{{1}}}{{{6}}}}{x}^{{{3}}}-{3}{x}^{{{2}}}-{2}{x}+{1}\) how do you

Dominique Pace

Dominique Pace

Answered question

2022-03-24

Given the function f(x)=112x4+16x33x22x+1 how do you find any points of inflection and determine where the curve is concave up or down?

Answer & Explanation

Alexzander Evans

Alexzander Evans

Beginner2022-03-25Added 9 answers

Step 1
If f is twice differentiable on an open set A, the inflections are the points where f'' changes sing. This is a polynomial so it's obvious that it's smooth (i.e. infinitively differentiable) on R, so here, the inflection points are the points where f0 and exist n>1 such that f(2n+1)0.
So fx2+x6 and its roots are 1±1+242={2,3}
Step 2
Now we notice that the third derivative: 2x+1 has zero only in 1, so it's not zero in the candidate inflection points, and this tells us that -3 is a falling point and 2 is a rising point
(this does make sense since we know how the graphic of a quartic polynomial behave)Now, if the function is twice differentiable, the concavity is determined by the sign of its second derivative:
f0U={x<3 or x>2}
f0D={3<x<2}
So in U the curve is concave up, and in D the curve is concave down

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