Given

question 14

Essay

Given .
(a) Find the intervals on which f is increasing or decreasing.
(b) Find the relative maxima and relative minima of f.

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Definitions:

Economic Profit

The difference between total revenue and total costs, including both explicit and implicit costs, representing the financial gain in excess of the opportunity costs of resources used.

X-Inefficiency

The difference between efficient behavior of enterprises assumed or implied by economic theory and their observed behavior in practice, often due to a lack of competitive pressure.

Pure Competition

A market structure characterized by many small firms producing identical products, where no single firm has significant control over the market price.

Monopolistic Competition

A market structure characterized by many producers selling products that are similar but not identical, allowing for competition based on quality, price, and brand.