If [tex]P(x) = 3 + x - 5x^2[/tex] represents the profit in selling [tex]x[/tex] thousand Boombotix speakers, how many speakers should be sold to maximize profit?

[tex]\[\boxed{\phantom{x}}\][/tex]



Answer :

To determine the number of speakers that should be sold to maximize profit given the profit function [tex]\( P(x) = 3 + x - 5x^2 \)[/tex], we need to follow a series of steps involving calculus.

1. Identify the Profit Function:
The profit function is given by:
[tex]\[ P(x) = 3 + x - 5x^2 \][/tex]
where [tex]\( x \)[/tex] represents the number of thousand speakers sold.

2. Find the First Derivative:
To find the critical points, we first need to compute the first derivative of [tex]\( P(x) \)[/tex]. The first derivative, [tex]\( P'(x) \)[/tex], represents the rate of change of profit with respect to the number of speakers sold.
[tex]\[ P'(x) = \frac{d}{dx} (3 + x - 5x^2) = 1 - 10x \][/tex]

3. Set the First Derivative to Zero:
The critical points occur where the first derivative is zero. We solve for [tex]\( x \)[/tex] in the equation:
[tex]\[ 1 - 10x = 0 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ 10x = 1 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ x = \frac{1}{10} \][/tex]

4. Find the Second Derivative:
To determine whether this critical point is a maximum or minimum, we can use the second derivative test. We compute the second derivative of [tex]\( P(x) \)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ P''(x) = \frac{d}{dx} (1 - 10x) = -10 \][/tex]

5. Evaluate the Second Derivative at the Critical Point:
We evaluate the second derivative at [tex]\( x = \frac{1}{10} \)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ P''\left( \frac{1}{10} \right) = -10 \][/tex]
Since [tex]\( P''\left( \frac{1}{10} \right) = -10 \)[/tex] is negative, the critical point [tex]\( x = \frac{1}{10} \)[/tex] is a local maximum.

6. Conclude the Optimal Number of Speakers:
Therefore, to maximize the profit, the number of speakers [tex]\( x \)[/tex] that should be sold is [tex]\( \frac{1}{10} \)[/tex] thousand, which is equivalent to 100 speakers.

Therefore, to maximize profit, you should sell [tex]\( \boxed{100} \)[/tex] speakers.