(a) Since g′(x)=x−2(x+4)(x−1)2, we see that g′(x)=0 implies that x=−4 or x=1. While x=2 makes g′ undefined, we are told that g has a vertical asymptote at x=2, so x=2 is not in the domain of g, and hence is technically not a critical number of g. Nonetheless, we place x=2 on our first derivative sign chart since the vertical asymptote is a location at which g′ may change sign.
(b) The first derivative sign chart shows that g′(x)>0 for x<−4, g′(x)<0 for −4<x<1, g′(x)<0 for 1<x<2, and g′(x)>0 for x>2. By the first derivative test, g has a local maximum at x=−4 and neither a max nor min at x=1. As these are the only two critical numbers, these are the only two locations for possible extremes. (Note: although g changes from decreasing to increasing at x=2, this is due to a vertical asymptote, and g does not have a minimum there.)
(c) Because g is decreasing as x→2− (where g has a vertical asymptote), g does not have a global minimum. For x>2, g is always increasing, which suggests that g does not have a global maximum (though we do not know for sure that g increases without bound).
(d) We observe that
x→∞limg′(x)=(=(=(=(x→∞limx−2(x+4)(x−1)2x→∞limx−2x3+2x2−7x+4⋅x1x1x→∞lim1−x2x2+2x−7+x4∞
Since g′(x)→∞ as x→∞, this tells us that g increases without bound as x→∞.
(e) From all of our work above, we know that g has a local maximum at x=−4, a horizontal tangent line with neither a max nor min at x=1, and a vertical asymptote at x=2, plus g and g′ both increase without bound as x→∞. Thus, a possible graph of g is the following.
