Question

How do I tell if a function is increasing or decreasing and if it has a maximum or minimum value?

Answer 1

take derivative of the function and consider when it is positive, the function is increasing; when the derivative is negative, the function is decreasing; the point the function changes from positive to negative or vice versa is called reflected point

Answer 2

How do I find the derivative?

Answer 3

what is your function?

Answer 4

I don't have one, I'm just asking the question from the list my teacher gave me of "know hows"? there are no examples.

Answer 5

so, no particular problem, just explain as I said. or you can put them on mathematical way like. consider the function f(x) , let say f'(x) >0 in the interval [a,b] and f(x) <0 in [b,c] , then f(x) is increasing in [a,b] and decreasing in [b,c], b is reflected point. that's it