Exponential Integral?

Calculus Level 4

Let function f ( x ) f(x) satisfy x 2 f ( x ) + 2 x f ( x ) = e x x x^2 f'(x)+2 x f(x)=\dfrac{e^{x}}{x} and f ( 2 ) = e 2 8 f(2)=\dfrac{e^{2}}{8} .

What can we say about f ( x ) f(x) when x > 0 x>0 ?

f ( x ) f(x) has no maxima and minima f ( x ) f(x) has no minima but maxima f ( x ) f(x) has both maxima and minima f ( x ) f(x) has no maxima but minima

This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and, finally, (c) loading the non-javascript version of this page . We're sorry about the hassle.

1 solution

Mark Hennings
Mar 8, 2020

If we define g ( x ) = 2 x 2 f ( x ) e x x > 0 g(x) \; = \; 2x^2 f(x) - e^x \hspace{2cm} x > 0 then g ( 2 ) = 0 g(2) = 0 and g ( x ) = 2 x 2 f ( x ) + 4 x f ( x ) e x = 2 x 1 e x e x = 2 x x e x g'(x) \; = \; 2x^2 f'(x) + 4x f(x) - e^x \; = \; 2x^{-1}e^x - e^x \; = \; \frac{2-x}{x}e^x and hence g ( x ) g(x) is increasing for 0 < x < 2 0 < x< 2 and decreasing for x > 2 x > 2 . Thus it follows that g ( x ) 0 g(x) \le 0 for all x > 0 x > 0 . Since x 3 f ( x ) + g ( x ) = 0 x^3 f'(x) + g(x) \; = \; 0 for all x > 0 x > 0 , we deduce that f ( x ) 0 f'(x) \ge 0 for all x > 0 x > 0 . Thus f f is an increasing function, and therefore has no maxima or minima. The turning point at x = 2 x=2 is a point of inflection.

Small typo, it should be x 3 f ( x ) + g ( x ) = 0 x^3f'(x)+g(x)=0 .

Vilakshan Gupta - 1 year, 3 months ago

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...