LINEAR FUNCTION

What is a Linear Function?

A linear function is an algebraic equation in which each term is either a constant or

the product of a constant and (the first power of) a single variable. For example, a
common equation, y=mx+by=mx+b, (namely the slope-intercept form, which we
will learn more about later) is a linear function because it meets both criteria
with xx and yy as variables and mm and bb as constants.  It is linear: the exponent
of the xx term is a one (first power), and it follows the definition of a function: for
each input (xx) there is exactly one output (yy).  Also, its graph is a straight line.
Graphing a Linear Equation
In order to graph a linear equation you can put in numbers for x and y into the
equation and plot the points on a graph. One way to do this is to use the "intercept"
points. The intercept points are when x = 0 or y = 0. Here are some steps to follow:

1. Plug x = 0 into the equation and solve for y

2. Plot the point (0,y) on the y-axis
3. Plug y = 0 into the equation and solve for x
4. Plot the point (x,0) on the x-axis
5. Draw a straight line between the two point
 POLYNOMIAL FUNCTION
A polynomial function has the

form  , where   
are real numbers and n  is a nonnegative integer. In other
words, a polynomial is the sum of one or more monomials
with real coefficients and nonnegative integer exponents.
The degree of the polynomial function is the highest value
for n where an  is not equal to 0. Polynomial functions of
only one term are called monomials or power functions. A

power function has the form  . For a polynomial

function f, any number r  for which   is called a
zero or root of the function f. When a polynomial function
is completely factored, each of the factors helps identify
zeros of the function.
Steps involved in graphing polynomial functions:

1 . Predict the end behavior of the function.

2 . Find the real zeros of the function. Check whether it is possible to rewrite the
function in factored form to find the zeros. Otherwise, use Descartes' rule of signs to
identify the possible number of real zeros.
3 . Make a table of values to find several points.
4 . Plot the points and draw a smooth continuous curve to connect the points.
5 . Make sure that the graph follows the end behavior as found in the above step.
 QUADRATIC FUNCTION

A quadratic function is one of the form f(x) = ax2 + bx + c, where a, b,

and c are numbers with a not equal to zero.

The graph of a quadratic function is a curve called a parabola. Parabolas may

open upward or downward and vary in "width" or "steepness", but they all have
the same basic "U" shape. The picture below shows three graphs, and they are
all parabolas.

INVERSE FUNCTION
An inverse function is a function that undoes the action of the another function.
A function gg is the inverse of a function ff if
whenever y=f(x)y=f(x) then x=g(y)x=g(y). In other words, applying ff and
then gg is the same thing as doing nothing. We can write this in terms of
the composition of ff and gg as g(f(x))=xg(f(x))=x.
A function ff has an inverse function only if for every yy in its range there is
only one value of xx in its domain for which f(x)=yf(x)=y. This inverse
function is unique and is frequently denoted by f−1f−1 and called “ff inverse.”

EXPONENTIAL FUNCTION
Exponential Functions

Significance
Exponential functions are functions of the form f(x) = bx for a fixed base b which
could be any positive real number. Exponential functions are characterized by the
fact that their rate of growth is proportional to their value. For example, suppose
we start with a population of cells such that its growth rate at any time is
proportional to its size. The number of cells after t years will then be at (an
exponential function) for some a>0.
 Standard Notation
One exponential function, f(x)=ex, is distinguished among all exponential functions
by the fact that its rate of growth at x is exactly equal to the value e x of the
function at x. The number "e" is named after Leonid Euler.

Rules of Exponentiation
The main rules used in manipulating exponential functions are:

 bx+y = (bx)(by)
 bxy = (bx)y
 b0 = 1
 b-x = 1/(bx)

Graphs of Exponential Functions

The shape of the graph of y = bx depends on

whether b < 1, b = 1, or b > 1 as shown on the right.
The red graph is the graph of bx (b > 1), the blue
graph is the graph of 1x, and the green graph is the
graph of (1/b)x (b < 1).

Since

bx = (a logab)x = a (logab)x,

different exponential functions are really the same with a scaling of the x-axis. If the scaling
is negative, the x-axis is flipped, which accounts for the different behavior.

Exponential Growth and Decay

A function whose rate of change is proportional to its value exhibits exponential
growth if the constant of proportionality is positive and exponentional decay if the
constant of proportionality is negative. For exponential growth, the function is
given by kbx with b > 1, and functions governed by exponential decay are of the
same form with b < 1. Populations might exhibit exponential growth in the
absence of constraints, while quantities of a radioactive isotope exhibit
exponential decay.

If b > 1, the exponential function f(x) = bx grows faster than any polynomial (or rational)
function. In other words, if g(x) is a polynomial, there is some positive number M such
that f(x) > g(x) for every x > M. Similarly, if b < 1, the function bx has zero has a horizontal
asymptote for large positive x and it nears this asymptote faster than any rational function.
Thus, (1.00001)x is eventually much, much bigger than x1000 and (.99999)x is eventaully much
smaller than x -1000.
 LOGARITHMIC FUNCTION
Logarithmic functions are the inverses of exponential
functions, and any exponential function can be expressed
in logarithmic form. Similarly, all logarithmic functions can
be rewritten in exponential form. Logarithms are really
useful in permitting us to work with very large numbers
while manipulating numbers of a much more manageable
size.
If x = 2 y  were to be solved for y, so that it could be written in function
form, a new word or symbol would need to be introduced. If x = 2 y  ,
then y = (the power on base 2) to equal x. The
word logarithm, abbreviated log, is introduced to satisfy this need.

y = (the power on base 2) to equal x

This equation is rewritten as y = log 2 x.

This is read as “ y equals the log of x, base 2” or “ y equals the log,
base 2, of x.”

A logarithmic function is a function of the

form 

which is read “ y equals the log of x, base b” or “ y equals the log,
base b, of x.”

In both forms, x > 0 and b > 0, b ≠ 1. There are no restrictions on y.

 PIECEWISE FUNCTION
A piecewise-defined function is one which is defined not by a single equation, but by two or
more.  Each equation is valid for some interval .