GENERAL MATHEMATICS

PIECEWISE FUNCTIONS

Some situations can only be

described by more than one
formula, depending on the value
of independent variable.
 PIECEWISE FUNCTIONS
• A piecewise function is a function
that is a combination of one or more
functions.
• The rule for a piecewise function is
different for different parts, or
pieces, of the domain.
 PIECEWISE FUNCTIONS

Read this as “f of x is 5 if x is greater

than 0 and less than 13, 9 if x is
greater than or equal to 13 and less
than 55, and 6.5 if x is greater than or
equal to 55.”
 PIECEWISE FUNCTIONS
A user is charged P300 monthly for a
particular mobile plan, which includes
100 free text messages. Messages in
excess of 100 are charged P1.00
each. Represent the amount a
consumer pays each month as a
function of the number of messages
m sent in a month.
 PIECEWISE FUNCTIONS
The cost of hiring a catering service
to serve food for a party is P150 per
head for 20 persons or less, P130
per head for 21 to 50 persons, and
P110 per head for 51 to 100 persons.
For more than 100 persons, the cost
is at P100 per head. Represent the
total cost as a piecewise function of
the number of attendees of the party.
 PIECEWISE FUNCTIONS
A store charges 150 pesos per t-shirt
for orders of 50 or fewer T-shirts, 135
pesos per t-shirt for orders of 75 or
fewer but more than 50 t-shirts, and
125 pesos per t-shirt for orders of
more than 75 t-shirts. Define the
function that best represents the
printing cost C for x number of t-
shirts.
 PIECEWISE FUNCTIONS
A local zoo charges admission to groups
according to the following policy. Groups
of fewer than 50 people are charged a
rate of 35.00 per person, while groups of
50 people or more are charged a
reduced rate of 30.00 per person. Find a
mathematical model expressing the
amount a group will be charged for
admission as a function of its size.
 PIECEWISE FUNCTIONS
The postal service charges 45
pesos for a package up to 4
ounces and 7 pesos for each
additional ounce up to 13 ounces.
Determine the function that best
represents the cost C in pesos
for weight x in ounces.
 PIECEWISE FUNCTIONS
A copy shop charges 3 pesos per
photocopy of colored outputs for orders
of 20 or fewer photocopies, 2.5 pesos per
photocopy for orders of 50 or fewer but
more than 20 photocopies, and 2 pesos
per photocopy for orders of more than 50
photocopies. Which function best
represents the cost C in dollars for x
number of photocopies?