Key Concepts of Functions

Functions and their Graphs

 Objectives

At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to:

1. Represent real-life situations using functions, including piece-wise functions
2. Evaluate a function
3. Perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and composition of
functions
4. Solve problems involving functions
Representing real-life situations
using functions
 Functions

• What are functions?

• In mathematics, a function is a relationship or an expression between two or more variables.
• It (function) can be viewed as a connection between an input and corresponding output based
on the input that was given.
 Representing functions
• Functions can be represented in different ways:
• Words: The relationship between two variables is such that one is always 3 times the other.
• Mapping Diagram:

• Table: Input Output

1 3
2 6
3 9
4 12
 Representing Functions
• Functions can also be represented by the following:
• Set of ordered number pairs: 𝑓 𝑥 = * 1,3 , 2,6 , 3,9 , 4,12 +
• Algebraic formula: 𝑓 𝑥 = 3𝑥
• Graph:
 Example

• Think of a real-life activity:

• Saving money for something you want to buy:

• If you can save Php 5.00 from your allowance everyday, how many days would you need to
save Php 100.00 pesos? Php 150.00?
• What if you can save Php 10.00 per day?
 Functions
• All of the questions asked from the previous slide can be answered by representing
the real-life situation into a function you can work with.
 Functions in the Real World

• Let us look at another activity:

How much will you pay if you will buy No of pieces of shirts Price per shirt
you’ll buy
3 shirts? 8 shirts? 15 shirts?
Less than 5 Php 75.00
5 - 10 Php 70.00
Greater than 10 Php 65.00
 Functions
• Representing real world situations using functions can be easy if you have a lot of
practice. Here are some steps that you could follow:
1. Choose a real-life activity that you would want to represent
2. Identify which variable depends on another (this is the dependent variable – also known as
the variable being computed)
3. Identify the independent variable (this is where the dependent variable is computed from)
4. Represent the relationship between / among the variables in a mathematical equation

Note: It is good to remember that for a function, exactly one value of the dependent variable (y)
should be associated to a value of the independent variable (x).
 Functions
• Let us go back to the previous example: From the example, the no of pieces of
No of pieces of shirts Price per shirt shirt is the independent variable;
you’ll buy
let us represent this variable 𝒙 as this
Less than 5 Php 75.00 is commonly used to represent a
variable in Mathematics.
5 - 10 Php 70.00
Greater than 10 Php 65.00
The total price you will pay for a certain
number of shirts is your dependent
variable.
let us represent this as 𝒚 or simply as
𝒇(𝒙) (this is a function of 𝑥)
 Functions

• Putting all variables together and identifying relationship:

75𝑥 𝑥<5 This is called a piece-wise function
• 𝑓 𝑥 = 70𝑥 5 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 10 Each line is a single function on its own
65𝑥 𝑥 > 10 Function 1: 𝑓 𝑥 = 75𝑥
Function 2: 𝑓 𝑥 = 70𝑥
No of pieces of shirts Price per shirt
you’ll buy Function 3: 𝑓 𝑥 = 65𝑥

Less than 5 Php 75.00

5 - 10 Php 70.00
Greater than 10 Php 65.00
 Other Examples
• When your Mom is buying a rug for your living room, she needs to make sure that
the length, the width and the area covered by the rug fits that of the floor of the
room where the rug will be placed.
 Other Examples
• Parking garage fee:
• Php 35.00 for the first 3 hours
• Php 10.00 per hour for the succeeding hours or a fraction of an hour.

• How much will you pay for 2.5 hours?

• For 7 hours?
𝑓(𝑥)
35 𝑥≤3
• For 8.75 hours?
35 + 10 𝑥 − 3 𝑥>3
Evaluating functions
 Notations

• Remember that we denote functions as 𝑓(𝑥) where 𝑓 is the function and 𝑥 is the
variable used in the function. The domain of the function describes values
of 𝑥 that can be put into the function. Let us go back to the first examples we had:
75𝑥 𝑥<5 Function 1: 𝑓 𝑥 = 75𝑥
𝑓 𝑥 = 70𝑥 5 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 10 Function 2: 𝑓 𝑥 = 70𝑥
65𝑥 𝑥 > 10 Function 3: 𝑓 𝑥 = 65𝑥
 Definition
• Evaluating a function means you are getting the value of the function (dependent
variable) at a given input (independent variable).
Think of a function as a
75𝑥 𝑥<5 Function 1: 𝑓 𝑥 = 75𝑥
𝑓 𝑥 = 70𝑥 5 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 10 factory. The factory does
Function 2: 𝑓 𝑥 = 70𝑥
65𝑥 𝑥 > 10 Function 3: 𝑓 𝑥 = 65𝑥 something to the input to
create an output.
• What is the value of the function at 2?
• What is the value of the function at 8?
• What is the value of the function at 12?
 The Magic Box

• Consider a box that receives numbers in the top and changes them
somehow and sends a (usually) different number out the bottom

For each of the number pair,

Magic Box you need figure out the "rule"
which changes the number?

18
 Output Values
• Determining Output Value means
Evaluating the Function Input Value

• To evaluate a function, substitute the input value for f(x)

every instance of the independent

variable in the function
Output value

19
 Example

• Given the function 𝑓 𝑥 = 5𝑥 + 1

• Determine the value of the function at 𝑥 = 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10
• Substitute the 𝑥 values to the equation:
• 𝑓 𝑥 = 5 2 + 1 = 11
• 𝑓 𝑥 = 5 4 + 1 = 21
• 𝑓 𝑥 = 5 6 + 1 = 31
• 𝑓 𝑥 = 5 8 + 1 = 41
• 𝑓 𝑥 = 5 10 + 1 = 51
Performing addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division and
composition of functions
 Definition of the Sum, Difference, Product, Quotient,
and Composition of Functions

• Functions can be treated like arithmetic values when it comes to combining them
• The sum of two functions 𝑓(𝑥) and 𝑔(𝑥) is denoted by 𝑓 + 𝑔 𝑥 and defined by:
• 𝑓 + 𝑔 𝑥 = 𝑓 𝑥 + 𝑔(𝑥)
• The difference of two functions 𝑓(𝑥) and 𝑔(𝑥) is denoted by 𝑓 − 𝑔 𝑥 and
defined by:
• 𝑓 − 𝑔 𝑥 = 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔(𝑥)
 Definition of the Sum, Difference, Product, Quotient,
and Composition of Functions
• The product of two functions 𝑓(𝑥) and 𝑔(𝑥) is denoted by 𝑓 ∙ 𝑔 𝑥 and defined
by:
• 𝑓 ∙ 𝑔 𝑥 = 𝑓 𝑥 ∙ 𝑔(𝑥)

• The quotient of two functions 𝑓(𝑥) and 𝑔(𝑥) is denoted by 𝑓

𝑔
𝑥 and defined by:

• 𝑓
𝑔
𝑥 =
𝑓(𝑥)
𝑔(𝑥)

• The composition of two functions 𝑓(𝑥) and 𝑔(𝑥) is denoted by 𝑓°𝑔 𝑥 and
defined by:
• 𝑓°𝑔 𝑥 = 𝑓 𝑔 𝑥
 Example

• Given 𝑓 𝑥 = 5𝑥 − 20 and 𝑔 𝑥 = 5𝑥
• Determine the sum, difference, product, quotient and composition of the
functions
• Sum:
• 𝑓 + 𝑔 𝑥 = 5𝑥 − 20 + 5𝑥 = 5𝑥 + 5𝑥 − 20 = 10𝑥 − 20
• Difference:
• 𝑓 − 𝑔 𝑥 = 5𝑥 − 20 − 5𝑥 = 5𝑥 − 5𝑥 − 20 = −20
 Example

• Product:
• 𝑓 ∙ 𝑔 𝑥 = 5𝑥 − 20 ∙ 5𝑥 = 5𝑥(5𝑥 − 20) = 25𝑥 2 − 100x
• Quotient:
• 𝑓
𝑔
𝑥 =
5𝑥−20
5𝑥
=
5(𝑥−4)
5𝑥
=
𝑥−4
𝑥

• Composition:
• 𝑓°𝑔 𝑥 = 𝑓 5𝑥 = 5 5𝑥 − 20 = 25𝑥 − 20
Solving problems involving
functions
 Application
• A wedding organizer charges a Php 5,000.00 initial consultation fee plus Php
500.00 per hour. Write an equation that represents the cost as a function of the
number of hours.

• Independent variable is the number of hours worked for the organizer.

• Dependent variable is the cost
Application