The function \(f\) is defined by \(f(x) = x^5 - 10x^3 + 50x\) for \(x \in \mathbb{R}\).
Determine whether \(f\) is an increasing function, a decreasing function or neither.
Solution
First, find the derivative \(f'(x)\) to determine the behavior of the function:
\(f'(x) = 5x^4 - 30x^2 + 50\).
To analyze whether \(f(x)\) is increasing or decreasing, we need to check the sign of \(f'(x)\).
Consider \(f'(x) = 5(x^2 - 3)^2 + 5\).
Since \((x^2 - 3)^2 \geq 0\) for all \(x\), it follows that \(5(x^2 - 3)^2 + 5 > 0\) for all \(x\).
Thus, \(f'(x) > 0\) for all \(x\), indicating that \(f(x)\) is an increasing function.
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