Week 1: FUNCTIONS

F UNCTION

A function f is a rule that assigns to each element x in a set D exactly one element,
called f pxq, in a set E.

The set D is called the domain of the function. The range of f is the set of all possible
values of f pxq as x varies throughout the domain.
There are four possible ways to represent a function:

• verbally (by a description in words)

• numerically (by a table of values)

• visually (by a graph)

• algebraically (by an explicit formula)

Example 1: A rectangular storage container with an open top has a volume of 10m3 . The length of
its base is twice its width. Material for the base costs $10 per square meter; material for the sides costs
$6 per square meter. Express the cost of materials as a function of the width of the base.
SOLUTION. Let w, 2w, h be the width, length, and height of the container. The total cost is

C pwq  10p2w2 q 6r2pwhq 2p2whqs

Since the volume of the container is 10m3 , we have h  w52 . Finally, we obtain
C pwq  20w2 p w ¡ 0q
180
w

G RAPH

If f is a function with domain D, then its graph is the set of ordered pairs

tpx, f pxqq | x P Du

In the other words, the graph of f consists of all points px, y q in the coordinate plane
such that y  f pxq and x is in the domain of f . The graph of a function is a curve in the
xy-plane. The following test is used to test any curves, which are graphs of functions.

The Vertical Line Test

A curve in the xy-plane is the graph of a function of x if and only if no vertical line
intersects the curve more than once.

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T RANSFORMATIONS OF F UNCTIONS

Vertical and Horizontal Shifts

Suppose C ¡ 0. To obtain the graph of
: y  f pxq C, shift the graph of y  f pxq a distance C units upward

: y  f pxq
C, shift the graph of y  f pxq a distance C units downward

: y  f px
C q, shift the graph of y  f pxq a distance C units to the right

: y  f px C q, shift the graph of y  f pxq a distance C units to the left

S YMMETRY

A function f is called an even function if @x P D, f p
xq  f pxq. It is called an odd

function if @x P D, f p
xq 
f pxq.

The graph of an even function is symmetric with respect to the y-axis. The graph of an
odd function is symmetric about the origin.

Example 2: The function f pxq  x2 is an even function; the function gpxq  x3 is an odd function;
p q  x2
however, the function h x x is neither even nor odd function.

M ONOTONICITY

A function f is called increasing on an interval I if f px1 q   f px2 q whenever x1   x2 in

I. It is called decreasing on I if f px1 q ¡ f px2 q whenever x1   x2 in I.

For instance, the function y  x2 is decreasing on p
8, 0q and increasing on p0, 8q.
P ERIODIC P ROPER TY

A function f is called periodic if there exists a positive constant τ such that for all x
from its domain f px τ q  f pxq. The smallest value of all values of τ is call the period
of this function.

For instance, the function y  sin x is periodic with the period 2π.
C OMPOSITION OF F UNCTIONS

Given two functions f and g, the composite function f  g of f and g is defined by

pf  gqpxq  f pgpxqq.

Example 3: If f pxq  x2 and g pxq  x 1, find f  g and g  f .

SOLUTION. We have
pf  gqpxq  f pgpxqq  f px 1q  px 1q2
pg  f qpxq  gpf pxqq  f pxq 1  x2 1
Note that, in general, f  g  g  f .

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I NVERSE F UNCTIONS

A function f is called a one-to-one function if it never takes on the same value twice;
that is f px1 q  f px2 q whenever x1  x2 .

Horizontal Line Test

A function is one-to-one if and only if no horizontal line intersects its graph more
than once.

Example 4: The function f pxq  x3 is one-to-one on R, because if x1  x2, then x31  x32. The
function g pxq  x2 is not one-to-one on R, because 1 
1 but g p
1q  g p1q  1. However, g pxq is
one-to-one on R  r0, 8q.

Let f be a one-to-one function with domain D and range E. Then its inverse function
f
1 has domain E and range D and is defined by f
1 py q  x ô f pxq  y for any y in E.

The following procedure shows you how to find the inverse function of a one-to-one
function f :

Step 1 Write y  f px q
Step 2 Solve this equation for x in terms of y (if possible)

Step 3 To express f
1 as a function of x, interchange x and y. The resulting equation is

y  f
1 p x q.
Example 5: Find the inverse function of f pxq  2x 3.
SOLUTION. According to the above procedure we write y 2x 3. Then we solve this equation
y
3 x
3
for x: x  . Finally, we interchange x and y : y  . Therefore the inverse function is
x
3
2 2
f
1 pxq  .
2

Note that f
1 pf pxqq

 x, f pf
1pxqq  x and the graph of f
1pxq is obtained by reflecting
the graph of f pxq about the line y  x.
P IECEWISE D EFINED F UNCTIONS

The functions in the following examples are defined by different formulas in different parts
of their domains. Such functions are called piecewise defined functions.

Example 6:
"
1
x, x ¤ 0
• A function is defined by f pxq 
x2 , x¡0
"
x¥0
• The absolute value function f pxq  |x| 
x,

x, x   0

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P OWER F UNCTIONS

A function of the form y  xα, where α is a constant, is called a power function.

P OLYNOMIALS

A function P is called a polynomial if

P pxq  an xn an
1 xn
1  a2 x2 a1 x a0

where n is a nonnegative integer and the numbers a0 , a1 , . . . , an are constants called

the coefficients of the polynomial. If the leading coefficient an  0, then the degree of
the polynomial is n.

R ATIONAL F UNCTIONS

P p xq
A rational function f is a ratio of two polynomiala: f pxq Q px q where P and Q are
polynomials.

A LGEBRAIC F UNCTIONS

A function f is called an algebraic function if it can be constructed using algebraic

operations (such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and taking roots)
starting with polynomials

T RIGONOMETRIC F UNCTIONS

There are four trigonometric functions: the sine function y  sin x, the cosine function
y  cos x, the tangent function y  tan x  , and the cotangent function y  cot x 
sin x
cos x
cos x
.
sin x

E XPONENTIAL F UNCTIONS

The exponential functions are the functions of the form f pxq  ax , pa ¡ 0, a  1q.

The properties of the exponential functions are

ax
y
x
ax y
 axay ;  aay ; paxqy  axy ; pabqx  axbx
L OGARITHMIC F UNCTIONS

The logarithmic functions f pxq  loga x, pa ¡ 0, a  1q are the inverse functions of the
exponential functions.

The properties of the exponential functions are



loga pxy q  loga x  loga x
loga y; loga pxα q  α loga x

x
loga y; loga
y

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I NVERSE T RIGONOMETRIC F UNCTIONS

The inverse trigonometric functions are:

The inverse sine function or the arcsine function y  sin
1 x  arcsin x where

1 ¤ x ¤ 1 and
π2 ¤ y ¤ π2 .
The inverse cosine function or the arccosine function y  cos
1 x  arccos x
where
1 ¤ x ¤ 1 and 0 ¤ y ¤ π.

The inverse tangent function or the arctangent function y  tan
1 x  arctan x

where
8   x   8 and
  y   .
π π
2 2

H YPERBOLIC F UNCTIONS

We consider four following hyperbolic functions:

x
 sinh x  e
2e
x
The hyperbolic sine function y

x e
x
The hyperbolic cosine function y  cosh x  e 2

x
 eex
ee
x
x
The hyperbolic tangent function y  tanh x  cosh
sinh x
x
x
x
The hyperbolic cotangent function y  coth x  cosh x
sinh x
 e
x
e
e
e
x

B ASIC F UNCTIONS

A function f is called a basic function if it can be constructed using addition,

subtraction, multiplication, division, and composition of fundamental functions.