Math for Economics (Fall 2022)

Problem Set 6: Concavity

Due November 11th by the end of the day

Write your answers with your name on separate sheets of paper and upload a scan to Courseworks.

1. Prove that any strictly positive linear combination of any convex functions f1 , . . . , fn : A ! R
is also convex, and this linear combination is strictly convex if at least one fi is strictly convex.
2. A function f : R ! R++ is called log-concave if g(x) = ln(f (x)) is a concave function. Which

f
of the following functions are log-concave?
2
• f1 (x) = ex
• f2 (x) = 3e x4 从⼼ 1MAminHN.MY
Mt it MyEA
• s : ( 1, 1) ! R where s(x) = 1 x 4

3. Prove that if f : A ! R is strictly quasiconcave over the compact and convex set A ✓ Rn ,
then there is a unique maximum of f . un
4. Provide an example of a strictly quasiconcave function f : A ! R and a compact but non-
convex set A ⇢ R2 that does not achieve a unique maximum over A. Graph the set A and
the maximizers in A in R2 .
5. Show that if f : Rn ! R is quasiconcave, then G(x) = F [f (x)] is also quasiconcave if
F : R ! R is increasing, but G is quasiconvex if F is decreasing.
2 2
6. Show that f (x, y) = e x y is quasi-concave over R2 but not concave. Is there a domain
where f is (strictly) concave?
7. Prove that arg maxx1 ,x2 2[0,1] ax1 + bx2 for some a, b 2 R is either a singleton or infinite.

1
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Ny
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了
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log concave

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continuous 照抄
Suppose there are two maximize
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y 从 fig 1

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⼆
gin is quasi_concave
guy is quasi concave

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According to question 5
ex is increasing con.ae
is
wncaug eiiisquasi
iy quasi

fix y
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number between ED 噝华
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