REPRESENTING REAL – LIFE

SITUATIONS USING RATIONAL

FUNCTIONS
The local barangay of Madamba received a budget
of Php100, 000 to provide medical checkups for the
children in the barangay. The amount is to be
allotted equally among all the children in the
barangay. Write an equation representing the
relationship of the allotted amount per child (y –
variable) versus the total number of children (x –
variable)
100, 000
y
x
Fill up the table below with the different allotment amounts
for different values for the number of children
No. of Children, x 10 20 50 100 200 400 500 1000
Allocated Amount, y 10,000 5,000 2,000 1,000 500 250 200 100
 A philanthropist wants to supplement the budget
allotted for each child by providing an additional
Php750 for each child in the barangay. If g(x)
represents this new amount allotted for each child,
construct a function representing this relationship.

100, 000
g ( x)   750
x
Fill up the table below with the different allotment amounts
for different values for the number of children

No. of Children, x 10 20 50 100 200 400 500 1000

Allocated Amount, y 10,750 5,750 2,750 1,750 1250 1000 950 850
An object is to travel a distance of
10 meters. Express velocity v as a
function v(t) of travel time t, in
seconds.
10
v(t) 
t
t (seconds) 1 2 4 5 10
v (m/s) 10 5 2.5 2 1
Suppose that (in mg/mL) represents the
concentration of a drug in a patient’s
bloodstream t hours after the drug
administered. Construct a table of
values of c(t) for t = 1, 2, 5, 10. Round
off answers into 2 decimal places.
Sketch the graph and interpret the
results.

t (seconds) 0 1 2 5 10
v (m/s) 0 2.50 2.00 0.96 0.50
The graphs indicates that the maximum drug
concentration occurs around 1 hour after the
drug was administered. After 1 hour, the
graph suggest that drug concentration
decreases until it is almost zero.
A fence is to enclose a rectangular vegetable
farm with an area of 400 square meters. If x
is the length of one side of this fence, find a
function P(x) representing the perimeter of
the fencing material required.
2
2 x  800
P( x) 
x
Find the perimeter of the fence if one side
has length 10 meters?

100 m
RATIONAL EXPRESSION
A rational expression is an expression that can be
written as a ratio of two polynomials.
DETERMINE WHICH OF THE
FOLLOWING ARE RATIONAL
EXPRESSIONS.
a. 15
x 1

4 7
ONLY B AND C ARE
b. 5x  6 x  1
RATIONAL
EXPRESSIONS

c. 5  x3
x
RATIONAL FUNCTIONS,
EQUATIONS AND
INEQUALITIES
RATIONAL EQUATION
 Anequation involving rational
expressions.
 Example:

2 3 1 x  1 3x x 1
   
x 2x 5 2x 1 2 5x  2
RATIONAL INEQUALITY
 Aninequality involving rational
expressions.

 Example

5 3

x  3 2x
RATIONAL FUNCTION
 A function of the form of f(x) = p(x)/q(x)
where p(x) and q(x) are polynomials,
and q(x) is not the zero function.

 Example

2
x  2x  3
f ( x) 
x 1
DETERMINE WHETHER THE GIVEN IS A RATIONAL
EQUATION, A RATIONAL FUNCTION, A RATIONAL
INEQUALITY, OR NONE OF THESE.
7 x3  4 x  1
1. y  5 x3  2 x 6.1 y
x2  3
8 x 1
2.  8  7. x  x 2
x 2x 1 2
2 x
3. x  2  48. x  6
2
x 1 3
4. x  1  x 9. x 1
 10
2x
5 x 3
5. 6 x   010. f ( x)  2
x3 x  2x  3
 y  5 x 3  2 xRational
1 x 1
1. function 9.  10
2x
8 x
2.  8  Rational Equation Rational Equation
x 2x 1
x 3
3. x  2 None
4 of these 10. f ( x)  2
x  2x  3
x 1
4. x3
 Rational Equation Rational Function
x 1

5
5. 6 x   0 Inequality
Rational
x3

6. 7 x 3  4 None
x of
1 these
y
x2  3
1
7. x   xRational
 2 Equation
2
2 x
8. x   6
Rational Inequality
2
 A rational equation or inequality can be
solved for all x values that satisfy the
equation or inequality.
 We do not “solve” function. Rather, a
function (and in particular, a rational
function) expresses a relationship between
two variables (such as x and y), and can be
represented by a table of values or a graph.
SOLVING RATIONAL
EQUATIONS AND
INEQUALITIES
PROCEDURE FOR SOLVING
RATIONAL EQUATIONS

To solve rational equations:

Eliminate denominators by multiplying each term of the

equation by the least common denominator.

Note that eliminating denominators may introduce

extraneous root. Check the solutions of the transformed

 2 3 1
EXAMPLE 1. SOLVE FOR X:  
x 2x 5
Solution: The LCD of all denominators is 10x. Multiply both sides
of the equation by 10x and solve the resulting equation.

2  3  1
10 x    10 x    10 x  
x  2x  5
20  15  2x
5  2x
5
x
2
 x 1 8
EXAMPLE 2. SOLVE FOR X:   2
x2 x2 x 4
Solution: Factor each denominator in the fraction.
x 1 8
 
x2 x2 ( x  2)( x  2)
The LCD is (x – 2)(x + 2). Multiply the LCD to both sides of the equation to remove the
denominators.
x 1  8 
( x  2)( x  2)  ( x  2)( x  2)   ( x  2)( x  2)   
x2 x2  ( x  2)( x  2) 
x( x  2)  ( x  2)  8
x 2  3 x  10  0
Solve the resulting equation by factoring.
( x  2)( x  5)  0 x  2  0 or x  5  0 x  2 or x  5

Since x = -2 will make the original equation undefined, it is an extraneous solution. Since
x = 5 satisfies the original equation, it is the only solution.
 8 x
EXAMPLE 3. SOLVE FOR X: 8 
x 2x 1
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
Publishing as Prentice Hall.
x x  R
 5x 2
R x   x  3
3 x

x3
H x  
x  2x  2 x  2 and x  2

x 1
F x   2 x  4 and x  1
x  5x  4
2
x  3x  2
G  x  2
x2
x 4
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
Publishing as Prentice Hall.