Elementary functions: suggested

exercises

√
1) Analyse grafically the inequality: 2 − |x| > 3 + x; then, verify that the set of the solutions
is an interval and find its extremes.

2) In the (x, y) plane, represent the set: {(x, y) : x2 < y ≤ 2x + 2}.

(
x2 + y 2 = 1
3) In the (x, y) plane, represent the solutions of the system: .
x ≥ 2y
√
4) Determine {x ∈ R : > 0} {x ∈ R : x + 1 > x2 − 1}.
x−1 T
2x+3
√
5) Determine the domain of f (x) = log(2x − x2 − 1) ( log stands for loge ).

√
6) Determine the domain and the range of f (x) = sin x − 1 ; then, sketch the graph.

7) Determine the domain and analyse the symmetry (if any) and the injectivity of the function
√ √
f (x) = 1 − x + x + 1 .

x−1
8) Determine the pre-image f −1 ([2, +∞)) of the function f (x) = .
2−x

 
1
9) Determine the pre-image f −1 2, 2 , where

x2 − x − 1
(
if x ≤ 1
f (x) = .
4−x if x > 1

10) Verify that the function f : R → R defined as f (x) = x2 − 4x + 9 is not invertible. Identify
invertible restrictions of f and write the corresponding inverse functions.

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2 Elementary functions: suggested exercises

11) Drawing the graph of the function, determine the biggest interval I where
q
f (x) = 1 − |x| + |x − 1|

is invertible. Write the inverse function of f restricted to I and sketch its graph.

12) Identify invertible restrictions of f (x) = x2 − 2|x|. Then, sketch their graphs, specifying
domain and range.

13) Determine the domain of

q √
a) f (x) = log(2 − x) − log(x + 1) b) g(x) = arcsin(2x − x + 1).

14) Prove that the functions

r
2 1 1 3 3
f (x) = x − x + 1, x ≥ and g(x) = + x− , x≥
2 2 4 4
are one the inverse of the other.

15) Determine the domains of g◦f and of f ◦g, where

2x + 1 √
f (x) = , g(x) = 1 − x.
x+2

16) Determine the domains of g◦f and of f ◦g, where

f (x) = x2 + x − 2 , g(x) = log(1 − 2x).

17) Verify that f (x) = (2x+1)(x−|x−1|) is injective on [0, +∞). Determine the range f ([0, +∞))
and the inverse function.

18) Write the compositions of functions g◦f and f ◦g, where

(
3x + 2 if x ≤ 1
f (x) = and g(x) = 2 − x;
5x + 6 if x > 1

then, sketch their graphs.

19) Sketch the graph of the function:


 2x
 if 0 ≤ x < 1/2
f (x) = 0 if x = 1/2 .
 2x − 2 if 1/2 < x ≤ 1


Then, determine the supremum and the infimum, the maximum and the minimum (if any)
on the interval [0, 1]. Verify that the restriction of f to the interval (0, 1) is injective.

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Elementary functions: suggested exercises 3

20) Sketch the graphs of f and of g, where

2x + 1 √
f (x) = , g(x) = 1 − x;
x+2

then, determine the domain and the range of g◦f and of f ◦g.

21) Having the function h(x) = 22x − 2x − 2

a) write h as result of a composition, in which one of the two composing function is f (x) =
2x ;

b) determine the domain and the range of h.

22) Sketch the graphs of

a) y = |x − 1| + |2x + 3|;

b) y = |2x2 − |x − 1||;

c) y = log (|x| + 1).

23) Sketch the graphs of f (x), |f (x)|, −f (x), f (x + 1), f (x) + 1, where f (x) = x2 − 2x.

24) Determine the domain and analyse the symmetry (if any) and the injectivity of the function
√
f (x) = log(2 − |x|) + 1 − x2 .

25) Verify that the function f : R → R defined as f (x) = x2 − x − 1 is not invertible. Identify
invertible restrictions of f and write the corresponding inverse functions.

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4 Elementary functions: suggested exercises

SOLUTIONS

√
−3+ 5
1) Sketching the graphs, it is clear that the inequality holds for values of x between x1 = 2
√  √ √ 
5− 21 −3+ 5 5− 21
and x2 = 2 , that is for x ∈ 2 , 2 .

√
y= 3+x

y = 2 − |x|

bc bc

−3 −2 x1 x2 2 x

√ √
−3+ 5 5− 21
It follows that the extremes of the interval are 2 and 2 .

2) It is the area between the parabola y = x2 and the straight line y = 2x + 2.

y

y = 2x + 2

2
y = x2

O x

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Elementary functions: suggested exercises 5

3) It is the set of the points which belong to the circumference with radius 1 and stay below the
straight line y = x/2.
y

x = 2y
x2 + y 2 = 1

bc

O x
bc

x ≥ 2y

4) Considering the two sets

√
A = {x ∈ R : x−1
2x+3 > 0} and B = {x ∈ R : x + 1 > x2 − 1},

we aim to determine the set A ∩ B.

x−1 3
The inequality > 0 is satisfied for x < − ∨ x > 1.
2x + 3 2
3
 
Therefore A = −∞, − ∪ (1, +∞)
2
√
The inequality x + 1 > x2 − 1 corresponds to the following system of inequalities

 x+1>0

x2 − 1 ≥ 0
 (x + 1)2 > x2 − 1,


which satisfied for all points x ≥ 1. It follows that B = [1, +∞).

Therefore A ∩ B = (1, +∞).

5) dom(f ) = [1, +∞) .

π
6) dom(f ) = 2 + 2kπ : k ∈ Z , im(f ) = {0} .

7) dom(f ) = [−1, 1] ; f is even, consequently it is not injective.

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6 Elementary functions: suggested exercises

h 
5
8) f −1 ([2, +∞)) = 3, 2 .

   √ √   
1 1− 13 1− 7
9) f −1 2, 2 = 2 , 2 ∪ 2, 27 .

10) f1 : (−∞, 2] → [5, +∞) e f2 : [2, +∞) → [5, +∞) are invertible restrictions of f and the
√ √
inverse functions are f1−1 (x) = 2 − x − 5 and f2−1 (x) = 2 + x − 5 .

√
11) The biggest interval on which f is invertible is I = [0, 1]; then, it follows that f −1 : [0, 2] →
2−x2
[0, 1] is f −1 (x) = 2 .

y y

√
2
f f −1
1

O 1 x O
√
2 x

2−x2
1 − |x| + |x − 1| and of f −1 (x) =
p
Fig. 1: Graphs of f (x) = 2 (exercise 11)

12) f1 : (−∞, −1] → [−1, +∞) ,

f2 : [−1, 0] → [−1, 0] ,

f3 : [0, 1] → [−1, 0] ,

f4 : [1, +∞) → [−1, +∞) .

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Elementary functions: suggested exercises 7

y y

2 1
f4−1

1 f3−1

−1 O x −1 O x

−1 f2−1

−2
f1−1
−1

Fig. 2: Graphs of f1−1 , f4−1 and of f2−1 , f3−1 (exercise 12)

13) a) dom(f ) = (−1, 21 ] ,

b) dom(g) = [0, 45 ] .

14) It can be noticed that im(f ) = [ 34 , +∞) = dom(g) and im(g) = [ 21 , +∞) = dom(f ) and that
3
(f ◦ g)(x) = x if x ≥ 4 and (g ◦ f )(x) = x if x ≥ 21 .

s
1−x
15) (g ◦ f )(x) = , dom(g ◦ f ) = (−2, 1] ;
2+x

3
(f ◦ g)(x) = 2 − √ , dom(f ◦ g) = (−∞, 1] .
1−x+2

 √ √ 
16) dom(f ◦ g) = (−∞, 21 ) , dom(g ◦ f ) = −1− 11 −1+ 11
2 , 2 .

17) im(f ) = [−1, +∞),

( 1√
−1 2 1+x if x ∈ [−1, 3)
f (x) =
1
2 (x − 1) if x ∈ [3, +∞)

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8 Elementary functions: suggested exercises

18) (
−3x if x ≤ 1
(g ◦ f )(x) =
−4 − 5x if x > 1
(
8 − 3x if x ≥ 1
(f ◦ g)(x) =
16 − 5x if x < 1

y y

16
g◦f
bc
11
O 1 x f ◦g
b
−3
b
5

bc
−9
O 1 x

Fig. 3: Graphs of g ◦ f and f ◦ g (exercise 18)

19) inf f = −1, sup f = 1; f does not have neither maximum nor minimum.
[0,1] [0,1]

bc
1

O 1 1 x
2

bc
−1

Fig. 4: Graph of f (exercise 19)

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Elementary functions: suggested exercises 9

20) The graph of f is a rectangular hyperbola, having as asymptotes the straight lines x = −2
 
and y = 2. The intersections with the coordinate axes are the points A = − 12 , 0 and
 
B = 0, 12 .

y y

2 1
g
1
2

−2 − 12 O x O 1 x

2x+1
√
Fig. 5: Graphs of f (x) = x+2 and of g(x) = 1 − x (exercise 20)

The graph of g is a half-parabola: the x − axis is the symmetry axis, the vertex is the point
V = (1, 0) and it points toward the negative x − axis. The intersection with the y − axis is
at C = (0, 1).

It follows that:

dom(f ) = (−∞, −2) ∪ (−2, +∞) , im(f ) = (−∞, 2) ∪ (2, +∞) ;

dom(g) = (−∞, 1] , im(g) = [0, +∞).

Being im(f ) ∩ dom(g) = (−∞, 1] 6= ∅ , g ◦ f exists and it follows that:

n o
2x+1
dom(g ◦ f ) = x ∈ R : x+2 ≤ 1 = (−2, 1],

im(g ◦ f ) = g((−∞, 1]) = [0, +∞).

Therefore, it results:

g ◦ f : (−2, 1] → [0, +∞).

Being im(g) ∩ dom(f ) = [0, +∞) 6= ∅ , f ◦ g exists and it follows that:

n √ o
dom(f ◦ g) = x ∈ R : x ≤ 1 ∧ 1 − x + 2 6= 0 = (−∞, 1],
h 
1
im(f ◦ g) = f ([0, +∞)) = 2, 2 .

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10 Elementary functions: suggested exercises

Therefore, it results:

h 
1
f ◦ g : (−∞, 1] → 2, 2 .

21 a) We have that h(x) = (g ◦ f )(x), where g(x) = x2 − x − 2.

h 
b) It results that dom(f ) = dom(g) = R , im(f ) = (0, +∞) , im(g) = − 49 , +∞ .

h 
It follows that dom(h) = R and im(h) = g(0, +∞) = − 94 , +∞ .

h 
Therefore h : R → − 49 , +∞ .

22) It results:

y y y

5
2
2

− 23 O 1 x −1 O 1 1 x O x
2

y = |x − 1| + |2x + 3| y = 2x2 − |x − 1|
 
y = log (|x| + 1)

Fig. 6: Graphs of the functions of the exercise 22.

23) It results

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Elementary functions: suggested exercises 11

y y y

y = f (x) y = |f (x)| y = −f (x)

O 2 x O 2 x O 2 x

Fig. 7: Graphs of f (x) = x2 − 2x, |f (x)| and −f (x) (exercise 23)

y y y

y = f (x)
y = f (x + 1) y = f (x) + 1

O 2 x −1 O 1 x O 1 x

−1

Fig. 8: Graphs of f (x) = x2 − 2x, f (x + 1) and f (x) + 1 (exercise 23)

24) It results that

n o
dom(f ) = x ∈ R : |x| < 2, x2 ≤ 1 = [−1, 1].

The function f is even. Indeed

q p
f (−x) = log (2 − | − x|) + 1 − (−x)2 = log (2 − |x|) + 1 − x2 = f (x).

Consequently, f is not injective.

 
1 5
25) The graph of f is a parabola, having the vertex at 2, −4 . Consequently, f is not invertible.
Two invertible restrictions of f are:
1 5 1 5
       
f1 = f|(−∞, 1 ] : −∞, → − , +∞ , f2 = f|[ 1 ,+∞) : , +∞ → − , +∞ .
2 2 4 2 2 4

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12 Elementary functions: suggested exercises

Their inverse functions are:

r r
1 5 1 5
f1−1 (x) = − + x, f2−1 (x) = + + x.
2 4 2 4

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