The function f (x) = - x2 + 48x - 432 models the profit, in dollars, a game developer makes for selling a new game, where x is the number of games sold and f (x) is the amount of profit. Part A: Determine the vertex. What does this calculation mean in the context of the problem? Part B: Determine the x-intercepts. What do these values mean in the context of the problem?

Question

Mathematics

Valentin Reynolds

15 January, 08:04

The function f (x) = - x2 + 48x - 432 models the profit, in dollars, a game developer makes for selling a new game, where x is the number of games sold and f (x) is the amount of profit. Part A: Determine the vertex. What does this calculation mean in the context of the problem? Part B: Determine the x-intercepts. What do these values mean in the context of the problem?

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Answers (1)

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Devan Weiss · Answer 1

f (x) = - x^2 + 48x - 432

Part A

Find the zeros:

-x^2 + 48x - 432 = 0

x^2 - 48x + 432 = 0

Factor

(x - 36) (x - 12) = 0

Two solutions: x = 36 and x = 12

The vertex is in x = (36 + 12) / 2 = 24

f (24) = - (24) ^2 + 48 (24) - 432 = 144

The vertex is (24, 144).

Given that the coefficient of x^2 is negative, the parabole opens downward, that mean that the vertex is a maximum value.

In the context of the problem that means that the maximum profit is 144 and is obtainded when the number of games sold is 24.

Part B.

The x-intercepts are the values of x when y=0. Which we calculated above.

They are x = 24 and x = 36.

Those values are the number of games for which the profit is zero.