In: Advanced Math
Maximize or minimize the following functions. Be sure to check your second-order conditions.
(a) maxQ Π = (20 − Q)Q − 4Q
(b) maxQ Π = (12 − Q)Q − 2Q2
(c) maxL Π = AL1/2 − 4L
(d) maxL Π = ALα − wL (where A and α are exogenous parameters and w is the wage rate on labor, L)
(a) Given: . Differentiating we get:
As the second derivative is negative, maximum occurs at Q=8, and maximum value is 64.
(b) Given: . Differentiating we get:
As the second derivative is negative, maximum occurs at Q=2, and maximum value is 12.
(c) Given: . Differentiating we get:
As the second derivative is negative, maximum occurs at L=A2/64, and maximum value is A2/16.
(d) Given: . Differentiating we get:
If , then the second derivative is negative, and maximum occurs at , and maximum value is
.
However, if , then the second derivative is positive, and minimum occurs at , and minimum value is