GM - Lesson 2.5 Problems Involving Rational Functions

Lesson 3.
3
Solving Problems Involving
Rational Functions
De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute - Special Health Sciences Senior High School 0
Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to solve problems

involving rational functions.
Look Back!
Before you begin with this lesson, it is suggested that you

revisit the following topics from your previous math lessons to
better understand the topics to be discussed in this lesson.
• Representing Real-Life Situations Using Functions
• Graphing Rational Functions
Solving Problems Involving Rational Functions
Example 1:
An inheritance worth ₱5 000 000 is to be shared equally by the
children of a deceased individual.
a. Represent the amount 𝐴 that each child will receive in
terms of the number of children 𝑥.
b. Graph the function, and interpret its horizontal asymptote.
Solution:
a. Represent the amount 𝐴 that each child will receive in terms
of the number of children 𝑥.
The inheritance worth ₱5 000 000 will be divided by the

number of children 𝑥. Thus, the function that describes the
amount that each child will receive is
5 000 000
𝐴 𝑥 = .
𝑥
Solution:
b. Graph the function, and interpret its
horizontal asymptote.
Since the function 𝐴 represents the

amount of inheritance each child will
receive, only the positive values for 𝐴
will be considered. Also, 𝑥 represents
the number of children the deceased
have, thus, only the positive values for
𝑥 will be considered. Thus, the only
graph that matters is the graph in the
first quadrant.
Solution:
b. Graph the function, and interpret its
The horizontal asymptote, 𝑦 = 0 ,

means that the value of 𝐴 or the
amount of inheritance that each
child will receive will not be equal to
zero. As the number of children
increases, the amount of
inheritance 𝐴 each child will receive
decreases.
Try This!
1 A restaurant bill amounting to ₱4 000 is to be shared
equally by a number of friends.
a. Represent the amount 𝑨 that each person will pay
in terms of the number of people who will share
the bill.
b. Graph the function, and interpret its horizontal
asymptote.
De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute - Special Health Sciences Senior High School
7
Example 2:
+,-
Suppose the function 𝐶 𝑡 = . is the function that represents
- /+,
the concentration of a drug in a patient’s bloodstream 𝑡 hours
after it is injected to the patient. What is the horizontal
asymptote of the graph of the function 𝐶? Interpret this value.
Solution:
We observe the degrees of the numerator and the denominator
to determine the horizontal asymptote.
10𝑡 The degree is 1. Thus, 𝑚 = 1.

𝐶 𝑡 = 1
𝑡 + 10 The degree is 2. Thus, 𝑛 = 2.
Since 𝑚 < 𝑛, the horizontal asymptote of the function is 𝑦 = 0,

or the 𝑥-axis.
Solution:
Based on the problem, 𝑦 refers to the concentration of the
amount of drug in the patient’s bloodstream. As the time 𝑡
approaches infinity, the concentration of the amount of drug in
the patient’s bloodstream approaches zero. This means that as
time goes by, the drug in the patient’s bloodstream will
eventually be close to zero.
Try This!
2 Suppose the function 𝑪 𝒕 = 𝟐𝟏𝟎𝒕 is the function that
𝒕 /𝟏𝟎
represents the concentration of a drug in a patient’s
bloodstream 𝒕 hours after it is injected to the patient.
What is the 𝒕-intercept of the graph of the function 𝑪?
Interpret this value.
11
Example 3:
Rowell can do a job 2 hours more than Elai can do the job.
Construct a function 𝑇 that represents the work Rowell and Elai
can do together in terms of the time 𝑥 in hours. Using this
function, what happens to 𝑇 as 𝑥 approaches infinity?
Solution:
If 𝑥 is the time Elai can do a job alone, then 𝑥 + 2 is the time it
+
takes for Rowell to do the same job. It follows that Elai’s rate is
=
+
and Rowell’s rate is . Thus, the function that describes the
=/1
work of Elai and Rowell together is
1 1
𝑇 𝑥 = + .
𝑥 𝑥+2
Solution:
1 1
𝑇 𝑥 = +
𝑥 𝑥+2
When simplified, the function will be
2𝑥 + 2
𝑇 𝑥 = .
𝑥 𝑥+2
Solution:
2𝑥 + 2
𝑇 𝑥 =
𝑥 𝑥+2
Based on its graph, as 𝑥

approaches infinity, 𝑇
approaches zero. It implies that
as Elai and Rowell allot more
time in doing the work, then the
work approaches zero.
Try This!
3 Two pipes are attached to a tank that fills it with water.
The smaller pipe can fill the tank one hour less than the
bigger pipe. Construct a function 𝑻 that models the
amount of work done in 𝒙 hours. Interpret the
16
Key Ideas
The knowledge on the concepts of graphing rational functions

can help us visualize a function that describes a given situation,
and eventually make interpretations based on the problem.

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Lesson 3.

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to solve problems

Before you begin with this lesson, it is suggested that you

• Representing Real-Life Situations Using Functions

• Graphing Rational Functions

The inheritance worth ₱5 000 000 will be divided by the

Since the function 𝐴 represents the

The horizontal asymptote, 𝑦 = 0 ,

10𝑡 The degree is 1. Thus, 𝑚 = 1.

Since 𝑚 < 𝑛, the horizontal asymptote of the function is 𝑦 = 0,

When simplified, the function will be

Based on its graph, as 𝑥

The knowledge on the concepts of graphing rational functions

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