2.

2 - Graphs of Functions
&
2.3 - Increasing and Decreasing functions
Objectives
 Graphing Functions by Plotting Points
 Graphing Piecewise Defined Functions
 The Vertical Line Test: Which Graphs Represent Functions?
 Which Equations Represent Functions?
 Values of a Function; Domain and Range
 Increasing and Decreasing Functions
Graphing Functions by Plotti ng Points

• A function of the form is called a linear function because its

graph is the graph of the equation The constant function f (x) = 3
, which represents a line with slope and
-intercept .
• A special case of a linear function occurs when the slope is
. The function , where is a given number, is
called a constant function because all its values are the same
number, namely, . Its graph is the horizontal line . The linear function f (x) = 2x + 1
• Functions of the form are called power functions.
• Functions of the form are called root functions.

Example(1): Sketch graphs of the following functions.

Solution: We first make a table of values. Then we plot the points given by the table and
join them by a smooth curve to obtain the graph.

(𝑎) 𝑓 (𝑥)=𝑥 2
( 𝑏 ) 𝑔 (𝑥 )=𝑥 3

( 𝑐 ) h ( 𝑥 )= √ 𝑥
Graphing Piecewise Defined Functions
Example(2): Sketch the graph of the function

• The solid dot at indicates that this point is included in

the graph; the open dot at indicates that this point is
excluded from the graph.
The greatest integer function is defined by greatest integer less than or equal to
For example,
and
The greatest integer function is an example of a step function.

Note: A function is called

continuous if its graph has
no “breaks” or “holes.”
The Vertical Line Test: Which Graphs Represent Functions?

Graph of a function Not a graph of a function

If each vertical line x = a intersects a curve only once at , then exactly one functional value is defined by
. But if a line intersects the curve twice, at and at , then the curve cannot represent a function because a
function cannot assign two different values to .
Which Equations Represent Functions?
• Does the equation define as a function of ? To find out, we solve for and get . We see
that the equation defines a rule, or function, that gives one value of for each value of . We
can express this rule in function notation as , But not every equation defines as a function
of , as the next example shows.

Example(9): Does the equation define as a function of ?

Solution:
(a) Solving for in terms of gives , The last equation
is a rule that gives one value of for each value of , so it defines
as a function of . We can write the function as .

(b) We try to solve for in terms of : y2 = 4 – x2 .

The last equation gives two values of for a given value of .
Thus the equation does not define as a function of .
Some Functions and Their Graphs
Some Functions and Their Graphs
Recitation problem
Recitation problem
Values of a Function; Domain and Range
• The graph of a function helps us to picture the domain and range of the
function on the -axis and -axis, as shown in the box below.
Recitation problem
Increasing and Decreasing Functions
It is very useful to know where the graph of a
function rises and where it falls. The graph
shown in the corresponding Figure rises, falls,
then rises again as we move from left to right:
It rises from to , falls from to , and rises again
from to .

The function is said to be increasing when its

graph rises and decreasing when its graph falls.

is increasing on and .
is decreasing on .
Recitation Problem
Recitation Problem
Old Exam Problems
Old Exam Problems
Old Exam Problems