Week 1: Functions

Essential Questions:

What is a function?

How do we evaluate functions?

What is a piecewise function?

How do we graph piecewise functions?

Learning Targets:

I can:

✓ describe functions;
✓ evaluate functions;
✓ describe piecewise functions; and
✓ graph piecewise functions.

Timetable:

▪ Discussion about Functions

▪ Activity 1: Test Your Understanding 1 (Deadline: Friday)
▪ Activity 2: Test Your Understanding 2 (Deadline: Friday)
▪ Assessment (Deadline: Next Week Friday)
Functions
What is a relation?
A relation is any set of ordered pairs. The domain of a relation is the set of first coordinates.
The range is the set of second coordinates.

What is a function?
A function can be defined as a special input-output relation that expresses how one quantity
depends on another quantity. It is a rule that assigns to each input quantity one and only
one output quantity.

A function is also a correspondence between nonempty sets where the elements in the first
set correspond to one and only one element in the second set. Functions can be expressed
in various forms - set of ordered pairs, mapping diagram, table of values, graphs or an
equation.

Examples:

• Ordered Pairs

• Mapping Diagram

• Table of Values
 • Graphs

• Equation

Evaluating Functions
Evaluating a function means finding the value of the given function for a particular value of
the independent variable.

How to evaluate functions?

When evaluating functions, substitute the assigned value to the corresponding variable.
Some simplification must be of some use. In some cases like evaluating rational functions, if
the denominator becomes 0 for some values, then those values make the function
undefined. Moreso, in evaluating a radical function, if the radicand becomes negative for
some values, then those values make the function undefined.
Example 1:

Example 2:
Piecewise Function
A piecewise function or compound/split function is a function defined by multiple
subfunctions, where each subfunction applies to a certain interval of the main function’s
domain.

The following are examples of piecewise functions:

2, 𝑖𝑓 𝑥 > −3 −𝑥, 𝑖𝑓 𝑥 ≤ 3
Example 1: 𝑓(𝑥) = { Example 2: 𝑓(𝑥) = {
−5, 𝑖𝑓 𝑥 < −3 𝑥, 𝑖𝑓 𝑥 > 3

Example 3: Sketch the graph of the given piecewise function.

𝑥 + 1, 𝑖𝑓 𝑥 < 2
𝑓(𝑥) = {
−𝑥 + 2, 𝑖𝑓 𝑥 ≥ 2

Solution: (Make a table of values of each piece)

For 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 + 1, 𝑥<2

For 𝑓(𝑥) = −𝑥 + 2, 𝑥≥2

 point is hollow
because of the
symbol <

point is solid
because of the
symbol ≥

~ End of Discussion ~