Increasing and Decreasing functions

Criteria for Increasing/Decreasing functions

• If f ( x)  0 for all x on (a, b), then f is decreasing on (a,b).

1. Determine the interval(s) on which f ( x ) is increasing and decreasing:

1
(a) f ( x)  x 4/5 ; (b) f ( x )  ; (c) f ( x)  x 2  1 ;
x7

x3 3x 2 x2
(d) f ( x)  2 x 2  8 x  5 ; (e) f ( x)    2x  4 ; (f) f ( x)  ;
3 2 x2  9

1  3x 2 1 ex
(g) f ( x)  ; (h) f ( x )  x  ; (i) f ( x)  ;
3  x2 e  1
2
x x

x  sin x cos x
(j) f ( x )  x ln x ; (k) f ( x)  .
2

Solution.
4 1/5
(a) f ( x)  x 4/5 ; f   x   x .
5

For x   , 0  , f   x   0 , so the function is decreasing on this interval.

If x   0,   then f   x   0 , which implies that the function is increasing on this interval.

1 7
(b) f ( x )  7
; f ( x)  8 .
x x

For any x  D f   , 0    0,   , one has f ( x)  0 , which implies that the function is
decreasing all over D f .

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 x
(c) f ( x)  x 2  1 ; f ( x)  .
x2  1

For x   , 0  , f   x   0 , so the function is decreasing on this interval.

If x   0,   then f   x   0 , which implies that the function is increasing on this interval.

(d) f ( x)  2 x 2  8 x  5 , f ( x)  4 x  8  4  x  2  .

For x   , 2  , f   x   0 , so the function is decreasing.

For x   2,   , f   x   0 and the function is increasing.

x3 3x 2
(e) f ( x)    2 x  4 ; f ( x)  x 2  3x  2   x  1 x  2 .
3 2

f ( x)  0 if x   ,1   2,   , so the function is increasing on this interval.

For x  1, 2  the function is decreasing since f   x   0 .

x2 2 x  x2  9  x2  2x 18 x
(f) f ( x)  2 ; D f   , 3   3,3   3,   ; f ( x) 
  .
x 9  x  9  x2  9
2 2 2

f ( x)  0 if x   , 0   D f and f ( x)  0 if x   0,    D f .

So, the function is increasing for x   ,  3   3, 0  and decreasing for x   0,3   3,  

1  3x 2 6 x  3  x 2   2 x 1  3x 2  16 x
(g) f ( x)  ; D f   ,   ; f ( x)   .
3 x    
2 2 2 2
3  x 2
3  x

For x   , 0  , f   x   0 , so the function is decreasing.

For x   0,   , f   x   0 and the function is increasing.

100
 1 1
(h) f ( x )  x  ; f ( x)  1  2  0 for all x  D f   , 0    0,   .
x x
So, the function is increasing all over the domain.

ex e x 1  e x 
(i) f ( x)  ; f ( x)  .
 e x  1 e  1
2 x 3

f ( x)  0  1  e x  0  x   ,0  .

f ( x)  0  1  e x  0  x   0,   .

So, the function is increasing on the interval  , 0  and decreasing on  0,   .

(j) f ( x )  x ln x ; f ( x)  ln x  1 .

1 
f ( x)  0  ln x  1  x  e 1  x   ,   .
e 

 1
f ( x)  0  ln x  1  x  e 1  x   0,  .
 e

1   1
So, the function is increasing on the interval  ,   and decreasing on  0,  .
e   e

x  sin x cos x 1  cos 2 x  sin 2 x

101