Final answer:
When dealing with the interval to the left of the critical point, the focus is on the increasing or decreasing behavior of the function.
Step-by-step explanation:
When dealing with the interval to the left of the critical point, the focus is on the increasing or decreasing behavior of the function.
If the function is increasing to the left of the critical point, it means that the function values are getting larger as the input values decrease. On the other hand, if the function is decreasing to the left of the critical point, it means that the function values are getting smaller as the input values decrease.
Therefore, when analyzing the interval to the left of the critical point, we are primarily concerned with the increasing or decreasing behavior of the function.