The Condition for a Diminishing Average Product
A core principle of production theory is that the average product of an input is diminishing if and only if the marginal product is less than the average product. This mathematical equivalence means the two conditions imply each other: a falling average product necessitates a marginal product below the average, and conversely, a marginal product below the average guarantees that the average product will fall. This relationship is formally established by differentiating the average product function.
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