MATHS

UNIT 6. FUNCTIONS

UNIT 6. FUNCTIONS
1. INTRODUCTION TO FUNTIONS

In everyday life, many quantities depend on one or more changing variables. For example: (a) Plant growth depends on sunlight and rainfall (b) Speed depends on distance travelled and time taken (c) Voltage depends on current and resistance 2. FUNTIONS A function is a rule that relates how one quantity depends on other quantities. Example 1: A bicycle covers a distance in 20 seconds. The speed of the bicycle is given by

s=

d =0.05d 20

where s = speed (in ms , or meters per second, m/s) d = distance (in meters, m) If the distance covered by the bike is 10 m, then the speed is s = 0.05 10 = 0.5 m/s. If d increases, the speed goes up. If d decreases, the speed goes down. We say speed is a function of distance (when time is constant). We get only one value of s for each value of d Example 2: We know the equation for the area, A, of a circle from primary school: A = r , where r is the radius of the circle This is a function as each value of the independent variable r gives us one value of the dependent variable A.
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I.E.S. FERNANDO III EL SANTO / PROYECTO BILINGE

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UNIT 6. FUNCTIONS

3. DEFINITION OF A FUNCTION We have 2 quantities (called "variables") and we observe there is a relationship between them. If we find that for every value of the first variable there is only one value of the second variable, then we say: "The second variable is a function of the first variable." The first variable is the independent variable (usually written as x), and the second variable is the dependent variable (usually written as y). The independent variable and the dependent variable are real numbers. In general, we use x for the independent variable and y for the dependent variable.

We normally write functions as: f(x) and read this as "function f of x". We can use other letters for functions, like g(x) or y(x). Example 3: We often come across functions like: y = 2x + 5x + 3 in math. We can write this using function notation: y = f(x) = 2x + 5x + 3 Function notation is all about substitution. The value of this function f(x) when x = 0 is written as f(0). We calculate its value by substituting as follows: f(0) = 2(0) + 5(0) + 3 = 0 + 0 + 3 = 3 Example 4: If the height of an object at time t is given by h(t) = 10t 2t, then the height at time t = 4 is h(4) = 10(4) 2(4) = 10 16 8 = 152
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I.E.S. FERNANDO III EL SANTO / PROYECTO BILINGE

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UNIT 6. FUNCTIONS
Exercises: 1) When operating a factory, there are fixed costs like electricity, labor and storage space. One such factory has costs of $50,000 per day. There are also variable costs, for example, if they make more widgets it will cost more in materials, extra labor costs and extra power costs. The factory calculates it costs $10 to manufacture each widget. Write the daily cost C as a function of the number of units produced. 2) A Norman window has the shape of a rectangle with a semicircle on top, as shown. Considering the space available, the base of each window has to be 30 cm less than the height of the rectangular part. What is the perimeter p of the window as a function of the radius r of the circular part?

3) A Boeing 747 burns fuel at the rate of 13,000 kg/h while cruising. If the aircraft weighed 350,000 kg at take-off, express its weight w as a function of the time t, in hours. 3. RECTANGULAR COORDINATES A good way of presenting a function is by graphical representation. Graphs give us a visual picture of the function. The most common way to graph a function is to use the rectangular co-ordinate system. This consists of:

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UNIT 6. FUNCTIONS

The x-axis; The y-axis; The origin (0,0); and The four quadrants, normally labelled I, II, III, IV.

The x-y coordinate system is also called the Cartesian Coordinate system, after its developer, Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650). This graphing system was incredibly important for the advancement of science and engineering. Normally, the values of the independent variable (generally the x-values) are placed on the horizontal axis, while the values of the dependent variable (generally the y-values) are placed on the vertical axis. The x-value, called the abscissa, is the perpendicular distance of P from the y-axis. The y-value, called the ordinate, is the perpendicular distance of P from the x-axis. The values of x and y together, written as (x, y) are called the co-ordinates of the point P. Exercise:

4) Three vertices of a rectangle are A(-3 , -2), B(4 , -2) and C(4,1). Where is the fourth vertex D? 4. THE GRAPH OF A FUNCTION

The graph of a function is the set of all points whose co-ordinates (x, y) satisfy the function y = f(x). This means that for each x-value there is a corresponding y-value which is obtained when we substitute into the expression for f(x). Since there is no limit to the possible number of points for the graph of the function, we will follow this procedure at first: 1. Select a few values of x (at least 5) 2. Obtain the corresponding values of the function and enter them into a table 3. Plot these points by joining them with a smooth curve

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I.E.S. FERNANDO III EL SANTO / PROYECTO BILINGE

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UNIT 6. FUNCTIONS

Exercises: 5) A man who is 2 m tall throws a ball straight up and its height at time t (in s) is given by h = 2 + 9t 4.9t m. 6) The velocity (in m/s) of the ball in Example 1 at time t (in s) is given by v = 9 9.8t Draw the v-t graph. What is the velocity when the ball hits the ground? 7) Graph the function y = x x
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DOMAI A D RA GE OF A FU CTIO DOMAIN The domain of a function is the complete set of possible values of the independent variable in the function. In plain English, this definition means: The domain of a function is the set of all possible x-values which will make the function "work" and will output real y-values. When finding the domain, remember: The denominator (bottom) of a fraction cannot be zero The values under a square root sign must be positive

RANGE The range of a function is the complete set of all possible resulting values of the dependent variable (y, usually) of a function, after we have substituted the domain values. Exercise: 8) Find the domain and range for the function f(x) = x + 2.
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I.E.S. FERNANDO III EL SANTO / PROYECTO BILINGE

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UNIT 6. FUNCTIONS

5. CO TI UOUS A D DISCO TI UOUS FU CTIO S CO TI UOUS FU CTIO S Consider the graph of f(x) = x 6x x + 30:
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We can see that there are no "gaps" in the curve. Any value of x will give us a corresponding value of y. We could continue the graph in the negative and positive directions, and we would never need to take the pencil off the paper. Such functions are called continuous functions. FU CTIO S WITH DISCO TI UITIES

Now consider the function f(x)=

1 x 1

We note that the curve is not continuous at x = 1.

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UNIT 6. FUNCTIONS

In simple English: The graph of a continuous function can be drawn without lifting the pencil from the paper. Many functions have discontinuities (i.e. places where they cannot be evaluated.) 6. SPLIT FU CTIO S Most functions you are familiar with are defined in the same manner for all values of x. However, there are some functions which are defined differently in different domains. These are known as split functions (or piecewise-defined functions). Because split functions may have drastically different behaviours in different domains (that is, for different x-values), it is quite common for a split function to be non-continuous (and as we learn later, it cannot be differentiated). Exercises: 9) Graph the following split functions: a) f(x)= 2x+3 for x<1

x 2 +2 for x1 b) f(x)= 2x8 for x<2 3x+2 for x>2 c) d) f(x) = | x | f(t)= 1 for 3t<0 1 for 0t3

Mara Virtudes Muoz

I.E.S. FERNANDO III EL SANTO / PROYECTO BILINGE

A.N.L.: MATHS