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Can someone please help me find the concavity of this function: f(x) = 2/x^2 - 3/x^3

User Baleato
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

To find the concavity of the function f(x) = 2/x^2 - 3/x^3, we can take its second derivative and evaluate it at the given point x = 3. By finding the second derivative and plugging in the value, we get -28/243, which is negative. Therefore, the function is concave downward at x = 3.

Step-by-step explanation:

A function is concave upward when its second derivative is positive, and concave downward when its second derivative is negative. To find the concavity of the function f(x) = 2/x^2 - 3/x^3, we need to take the second derivative. Let's start by finding the first derivative:

f'(x) = -4/x^3 + 9/x^4

To find the second derivative, we differentiate f'(x):

f''(x) = 12/x^4 - 36/x^5

Now, we can plug in the value x = 3 into the second derivative:

f''(3) = 12/3^4 - 36/3^5 = 12/81 - 36/243 = 4/27 - 4/9 = -28/243

Since the second derivative f''(3) is negative, the function f(x) = 2/x^2 - 3/x^3 is concave downward at x = 3.

User Asim Omer
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