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Functional Equations - Detailed Explanation with
Methods for JEE
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What is Meant by Functional Equations?
The term “functional equations’ comprises two individual terms: functions and equations.
Functions are essentially any polynomial expression that establishes the relationship between
linear, cubic or contains polynomial expressions. In fact, there are many types of functions in
Mathematics, which also include logarithmic functions, sin and cosine functions, exponential
functions, cyclic functions, and many more. In the case of functional equations, the unknown
variables are basically unknown functions, and therefore the methods of segregating the
unknown values are very different from those of the conventional methods of solving an
equation and finding the values of the unknown variables.
The Different Types of Functions in Mathematics
As mentioned before, there are a variety of different types of functions that we come across in
the field of Mathematics. Every function has its own standard form and can be altered slightly
by keeping the fundamental form as the original. The following list shows the different types of
functions and functional equations in their general form. Here, we consider the notations f(x)
and g(x) as per convention= Mathematical term Formula Graph
1. | linear function (x) = mx +c
2. | Quadratic function f(x) = x2
3. | Square root function Se) = ve
2, [Absolute value
function
vil
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5. | Reciprocal function F(z) ==
x
6. | Logarithmic function f(x) = In x
7 _ | Exponential function
. sine
8. Sin function f(x) = sin (x) Y
9. | Cosine function F(x) = cos (x) J
10. | Tan function F(x) = tan (x)
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12.
Step function or the
greatest integer
function ( floor
function)
T)=TXT
Step function or the
greatest integer
function ( ceiling
function)
TOO=LX]
Basic Method for Finding the Functional Relationship
There are some other methods which can effectively solve a functional equation or can be
implemented to find the functional relationships. They are as follows:
1. Surjective Function/Onto Function: Between sets X and Y, a surjective function is
constructed such that every element of set Y is related with at least one element of set X. A
surjective function's domain and range are both the same
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Example:
Let, X = {1,2,3,4}, Y = {4,B,C,D}
f: ASB
2. Injective Function/One to One Function: In Injective function, the elements of the two
sets are mapped so that every element of the range is in co-domain and has a distinct domain
element. If f is both one-one or injective and onto or surjective, it is said to be a bijective
function or bijection.
Example:
Let, A = {X,Y,Z,W}, B= {1,2,3,5}Lear UNE Online
Examples of Finding Functional Relationships
Let us take the following examples:
Example 1: if f(z +3) — x? + 8x + 16, thon find tho value of f(x).
Solution: Here, as we can see, the function f(x+3) has been given. From the given function, we
must establish a relationship between f(x+3) and f(x) to find out the value of f(x). We apply the
method of substitution to do the same.
Let us substitute x+3 with x-3 such that x = (x-3) +3
Substituting the value of y in the given equation and simplifying, we get that:
f(x+3)=27+8r+16
= f(z — 3) +3) = f(z)
= f(x) = (x — 3)? +8(@ — 3) +16
=a? +9—6e + 8a —24+16
=a? 422+1lor(«+1)
Therefore, the required expression for f(x) is f(x) = 2? + 2 +1 = (x +41)?
Thus, we not only found the value of f(x) from f(x+3) but also derived a relationship between the
two functional equations.Vedaniti,
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Example 2: Find all the functions f: R—{0}—>R satisfying the equation
fie) +35(2) <2
z
Solution:
Let us substitute in the function for a single variable. However, as mentioned in the
theory of equations, a function or a polynomial expression can have one or more variables
Using the method of substitution to solve functional equations having more than one unknown
variable can get a little confusing. The one key point that you must remember to check is
symmetry. In many cases, just interchanging the variables can establish a symmetrical
relationship between the variables of the equation that was not there priorly.
Conclusion
Functional equations are a system of equations that do not deal with the concept of traditional
one or more variables. Rather, these equations consist of unknown functions in the place of
variables. The basic method gives us different techniques and approaches that can be used to
solve an equation
Functional equations, on the other hand, cannot be solved by implementing these go-to
methods. One of the basic methods for finding the functional relationship for a system of
functional equations is substitutions. Cos function, the sine function is also exhibited in the
physical world apart from Mathematics.
Last updated date: 20th Jun 2023 + Total views: 105.3k + Views today: 0.55kVedaniti,
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