As the variable input of production is increased, __________.

Question

the total product will increase unless the marginal product is positive

the average product will be positive

the average product could be either positive or negative

the marginal product for that input will always be increasing

Answer 1

As the variable input of production is increased, the average product could be either positive or negative.

This is because the average product is calculated as total output divided by the number of units of input. If total output is not increasing at a sufficient rate relative to the number of inputs, the average product can indeed turn negative, especially if inefficiencies occur or if too much of the variable input is added after reaching optimal usage.