MAT 020 BIO : Elementary Calculus I Lecture Note 2

Functions:
A function f is is a rule (or map) which associate an element x  X to an element y Y. The set X
is known as the domain of function f denoted by Df and the set Y is commonly known as the
codomain of map f. We use the following symbol
f:XY
Which means f maps an element x of set X to an element y of set Y. We denote this mapping by
writing y = f (x).
The domain is the set of all possible x-values which will make the function "work", and will
output real y-values.
The set of all possible values of of f(x) in the set Y is called the Range of function f and denoted
by Rf.
Real Valued Function:
A function of real numbers is a rule f which associate any given real number to another real number.

i.e. f:RR

We usually denote a function by y = f (x), which means the rule f associates the real number x to another
real number y.
We call f (x) as a function of the real number x. We also use the letters g, h, etc to represent a function.

Example 1: f (x) = x2 , here rule f is “ square the number”, we associate the number x2 to the number x.
With this function one obtains
f(2) = 4, f( √ 2 ) = 2, f(x – 1) = x2 – 2 x + 1, f(x + h) = x2 + 2 x h + h2 .

Example 2: g (x) = x2 – 3 x + 2, here rule is “square the number x” then, “subtract 3 times this number”,
then add 2.
g (2) = 4 – 6 + 2 = 2, g (x + 1) = (x + 1)2 – 3 (x + 1) + 2 = x2 + 2 x + 1 – 3 x – 3 + 2 = x2 - x.

Example 3: f (x) = |x|+ 3, here the rule is take mod of number x then add 3 to it
Also this  f(2) = 5, also f(-2) = 5
1 1
Example 4: f (x) = x , here the rule is take reciprocal of number x and this  f ( √ 2 ) = √ 2 .
Example 5: f(x) = √ x - 5, here the rule is take square root of number x then subtract 5 to it.
Example 6: f(x) = sin x, here rule is associate sin function to the number x
Etc.

Examples on Domain & Range:

Example 1: Let f(x) = x + 1

Here, Df = ( - ,  ), and Rf = ( - ,  )

1
 √
Example 2: Let f(x) = x + 4
Here, Df = [ - 4,  ), and Rf = [0,  )

1
Example 3: Let f(x) = x −1
Here, Df = ( - , 1 )  (1, ) and Rf = (- ,  )
−1
Example 4: Let f(x) = x+3
Here, Df = ( - , - 3 )  (- 3, ) and Rf = (- ,  )

Example 5: Let f(x) = sin x

Here, Df = ( - , ) and Rf = [- 1, 1 ]

√2
Example 6: Let f(x) = x − 4
Here, Df = ( - , - 2]  [2, ) and Rf = [0,  ]

Example 7: State the domain and range of the following relation. Is the relation a function?
S = {(2, –3), (4, 6), (3, –1), (6, 6), (2, 3)}
Ans. domain: {2, 3, 4, 6}; range: {–3, –1, 3, 6}
No it is not a function not a function as 2 is associated with – 3 and also with 3.

Example 8: State the domain and range of the following relation. Is the relation a function?
S = {(1, –2), (3, 6), (1, –1), (6, 7), (- 2, 7), (-2, 3), (3, -6)}
Ans. domain: {1, 3, 6, - 2}; range: {–2, 6, - 1, 7, 3, - 6}
No it is not a function not a function as - 2 is associated with 7 and also with 3.

√
Example 9: Let f(x) = − x + 9
Here, Df = (- , 9] and Rf = [0,  )

√
Example 10: Let f(x) = 2 x − 8
Here, Df = [4, ) and Rf = [0,  )

Example 11: Let f(x) = x2 + 3

Here, Df = (- , ) and Rf = [3,  )

√− x + 2
Example 12: Find the domain of function f(x) = ( x + 1) ( x + 9)
Ans: We must have - x + 2 ≥ 0, x + 1 ≠ 0 and x + 9 ≠ 0  x ≤ 2 and x ≠ - 1 and x ≠ - 9
 Df = ( - , - 9 )  (- 9, - 1)  (- 1, 2]

2
 √− x
Example 13: Find the domain of function f(x) = ( x − 3) ( x + 5)
Ans. We must have - x ≥ 0, x - 3 ≠ 0 and x + 5 ≠ 0  x ≤ 0 and x ≠ 3 and x ≠ - 5
 Df = ( - , - 5 )  (- 5, 0]
√− x − 3
Example 14: Find the domain of function f(x) = (x − 7) ( x − 1)
Ans. We must have - x - 3 ≥ 0, x - 7 ≠ 0 and x - 1 ≠ 0  x ≤ - 3 and x ≠ 1 and x ≠ 7
 Df = ( - , - 3 ]

Example 15: Find the Range of function f(x) = x2 – 2 Ans: Rf = [- 2, )

Example 16: Find the Range of function f(x) = x2 + 3 Ans: Rf = [3, )

Example 17: Find the domain of following functions:

1
(a) f(x) = |x 2 − 4 | , Ans. Df = ( - , - 2 )  (- 2, 2)  (2, )
1
2
(b) ) f(x) = x + 4 x + 3 , Ans. Df = ( - , - 3 )  (- 3, - 1)  (- 1, )

(c) ) f(x) = √ x2 + 5 x − 6 Ans. Df = [ 1, )

1
(d) f(x) = √(x − 2 )2 Ans. Df = ( - , 2 )  ( 2, )
1
(e) f(x) = x − √x + 2 Ans. Df = [- 2, 2 ) U (2, )
(f) f(x) = ln | x + 3 | - 5, Ans. Df = (- 3, )

Example 18: Find the Range of following functions:

(a) f(x) = - x2 + 6 x + 5 , Ans. - x2 + 6 x + 5 = - (x – 3)2 + 14  Rf = ( - , 14]
(b) ) f(x) = |x + 3| - 2 , Ans. Rf = ( - 2, )

√x + 2
Example 19: Find the domain and range of the function f(x) = x2 − 9
Ans. Df = ( - 2, 3 )  ( 3, ) and Rf = [0,  )

Absolute value Function, (or Mod Function):

For a real number a, we define the absolute value of a denoted by | a |as follows:

{
|a| = a if a ≥ 0
− a if a < 0
Thus the absolute value of a number is always a positive number or 0.

3
An absolute value of a real number a denoted by |a| is also called mod of a.
Note that |a| ≥ a. and |a b| = |a| |b| and a b ≤ |a b| = |a| |b|

Examples: (a) | 3 | = 3, and | - 3 | = - (- 3) = 3; |√ 2| = √ 2 and |− √2| = √ 2

Theorem 1:

For number a, | a |2 = a2 and | a | = a √ 2

Theorem 2:
If a, b are real numbers, then | a b | = | a | | b |
Theorem 3:
If a and b are two real numbers, then | a + b |  | a | + | b |

For numbers a, b the following theorems holds for absolute values of a and b i. e. for | a | and | b |:

Proof of Theorem 1:
If a > 0 (positive) then | a | = a  | a |2 = a2 . If a is negative i.e. a < 0, then | a | = - a and this implies
| a |2 = ( - a) . ( - a) = a2 . If a = 0, then |a | = | 0 | = 0 and | a | 2 = 02 = 0 .
Hence the theorem is proved.

Proof of Theorem 2:
(i)If a  0, b  0, then a b  0 and then | a b | = a b. Also, as |a | = a, | b | = b so | a | | b | = a b
Hence | a b | = | a | | b | proved.
(ii) If any of a or b is negative then the product a b is negative. For, let b is negative. Then, |a b| = - a b
and as a is positive |a| = a, |b| = -b; therefore |a| |b| = a (- b) = - a b. Hece | a b | = | a | | b | proved.
(iii) If both of a and b are negative then the product a b is positive. Then |a b| = a b. Also, as |a| = -a,
and |b| = -b, so |a| |b| = (-a) (-b) = a b. Hece | a b | = | a | | b | proved in this case also.

Proof of Theorem 3:
One observes that either a b > 0 (positive) or a b < 0 (negative) or a b = 0. In any case
a b  | a b | = |a| |b|.
 2 a b  2 |a| |b|
Since we have
(a + b )2 = a2 + 2 a b + b2
 a2+ 2 |a| |b| + b2 = |a|2 + 2 |a| |b| + |b|2 = ( |a| + |b| )2
Thus, we get
( a + b )2  ( |a| + |b|)2
Implies (|a + b|)2  ( |a| + |b|)2
Implies |a + b|  |a| + |b|
Proved.

Assignments:
(a) |x + y|  |x| - |y|
(b) |x – y|  |x| - |y|
(c) |x – y|  |x| + |y|
Proofs:
(a) (x + y )2 = x2 + 2 x y + y2  |x|2 - 2 |x| |y| + |y|2

4
  | x + y|2  (|x| - |y|)2
 |x + y|  |x| - |y|, hence proved

(b) (x - y )2 = x2 - 2 x y + y2  x2- 2 |x| |y| + y2 = |x|2 - 2 |x| |y| + |y|2

|x – y|2  (|x| - |y|)2
 |x – y| |x| - |y|, hence proved

(c) (x - y )2 = x2 - 2 x y + y2  x2+ 2 |x| |y| + y2

| x - y|2  (|x| + |y|)2
|x - y| |  |x| + |y|, hence proved.

Example 1 : Find the real numbers satisfying | x + 1 | = 2.

Ans.
Given |x + 1| = 2 (1)
|x + 1| = either x + 1 or –(x + 1)
(a) If |x + 1| = x + 1 , then from (1) we have x + 1 = 2  x = 2 – 1 = 1
(b) If |x + 1| = - (x + 1), then from (1), we have – x – 1 = 2  - x = 3  x = - 3.
Thus the answer is x = 1 or x = - 3.

Example 2: Determine all intervals of real numbers satisfying the inequality

|x + 1| > 2 (2)
Solution:
Case 1: If x + 1  0, then |x + 1| = x + 1 and so, in this case we have to find all those x such that x + 1  0
and x + 1 > 2. The inequality x + 1 > 2 implies inequality x + 1  0. So, we have to find all x such that
X + 1 > 2. This implies all x > 2 – 1 i. e. all x > 1.

Case 2: If x + 1 < 0, then |x + 1| = - (x + 1) = - x – 1. So, in this case we have to find all x such that x+1 <0
and – x – 1 > 2.
These inequalities are equivalent to inequalities x < - 1 and – x > 3 i. e. x < - 1 and x < - 3.
The set of real numbers satisfying precisely these inequalities is x < - 3.
Putting these two cases together, we find the real numbers satisfying inequality are those such that x > 1
or x < - 3.

Greatest Integer Function, (or Floor Function): f(x) = [x]

Def. : [x] is defined as the greatest integer ≤ x

Examples: [0.25] = 0, [2.7] = 2, [-0.25] = - 1, [-3.7] = - 4, [3] = 3, [-7] = -7 etc.

Plot of f(x) = [x]

5
Inverse Function:
Inverse of a function f is a function denoted by f -1- such that f(f-1 (x)) = f-1 (f (x)) = x

Inequalities:
For two numbers a, b inequality means a  b; either a is greater than b or a is less than b.

On the number line, positive numbers are those numbers unequal to 0 and lying on the right of 0. If a is
a positive numbe , we write a > 0. Following are the basic properties concerning positivity:
(i) If a > 0, b > 0 (i.e. if a, b are positive), then the product a b > 0 and a + b > 0.
(ii) If a is a real number, then either a > 0, or a = 0 or – a > 0 and these possibilities are mutually
exclusive
If a number a is not positive and a  0, then a is negative and if a is negative then – a is positive.
If a > 0, we say a is greater than zero.
If we say a is positive or equal to 0, and we write a  0.
Given two numbers a, b we say
 a is greater than b and write a > b if a – b > 0
 We write a < 0 if – a > 0 and a < b if b > a.
 When we write a  b, we mean a is greater than or equal to b.
Example1:
(1) 7 > 6 because 7 – 6 = 1 > 0
(2) 3  2 and 3  3 both inequalities are true.
Let a, b, c are three numbers. Then, the following rules follows:
Rule 1: If a > b and b > c then a > c
Rule 2: If a > b and c >0 then a c > b c
Rule 3 : If a > b and c < 0, then a c < b c

Example 2:
We have the inequality 3 < 5; now since 2 > 0 and 2.3 = 6, 2. 7 = 14, so 2.3 < 2.7
On the other hand – 2 < 0 and – 2 . 3 = - 6, -2 . 7 = - 14 and as – 6 > - 14 hence -2. 3 > -2. 7

Powers :
Let n be any integer  1 and a is any real number. Then an is the product of a with itself n times
That is an = a. a. a. a. . . . . n times. Thus we obtain a function which is called the n th power. an is the nth
power of a.
If we denote this function by f, then f(x) = x n.

6
We recall the rule xm + n = xm xn for any real number x and integers m, n  1.
1
n
Again, let n  1 be any integer and a be a > 0. Then, we define a to be a unique positive number such
that bn = a. Thus, we get a function called the n th root .
Some elementary Rules:
If a and b are real numbers  0, and n is an integer n  1, then
1 1 1
n n n
(a b ) = a b

( )
m 1 m
n n
(a) = a , a0 = 1.