Find the critical points and the intervals on which the function is increasing or decreasing. Use the First Derivative Test to determine whether the critical point is a local min or max (or neither).
When f'(x) > 0 for all x on a defined open interval, then f is on that interval.
Find f'(x).
where b = and c = .
Use the two critical points to divide the real line into three intervals.
(-∞,-5),(-5,-2),(-2,∞)
To determine where f(x) is increasing or decreasing, pick an x-value in each interval, and identify the sign of f'(x).
Let's pick x1 = -6 in the first interval, x2 = -5 in the second interval, and x3 = 0 in the third interval. Fill in the table below with the appropriate sign.
Interval | x-value | Sign of f'(x) |
---|---|---|
(-∞,-2) | -6 | |
(-2,-5) | -5 | |
(-5,∞) | 0 |
The First Derivative Test for critical points states that for any critical point x = c:
If f'(x) changes sign from + to − at x = c, then f(c) is a local .
If f'(x) changes sign from − to + at x = c, then f(c) is a local .