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1.4 Investigating Piecewise Function - Handout

The document introduces piecewise functions which are necessary to model many real-life situations that cannot be modeled by a single function. It discusses the absolute value function as an example piecewise function and provides examples of developing your own piecewise functions to model cost versus distance traveled for a car rental situation.

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27 views

1.4 Investigating Piecewise Function - Handout

The document introduces piecewise functions which are necessary to model many real-life situations that cannot be modeled by a single function. It discusses the absolute value function as an example piecewise function and provides examples of developing your own piecewise functions to model cost versus distance traveled for a car rental situation.

Uploaded by

R Z
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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INVESTIGATING: PIECEWISE FUNCTIONS

Today we will look at piecewise functions. We will introduce piecewise functions


because many real life situations cannot be modelled by a single function. In order to
fix this problem, we break up the domain into pieces. By the end of this handout, you
should be able to:

Develop a real life example where a piecewise function is necessary to model


the situation
Create your own piecewise function

Part 1: The most famous piecewise function

Look at the absolute value function, . Try to label the two pieces.

Therefore, we write This shows that there are


2 pieces to this function.
Part 2: Develop your own piecewise function

Example 1: Develop your own piecewise function using the graph.

Example 2a: A car rental company charges its customers a set fee of $50 for a
weekend. On top of that, they charge ¢25/km for the first 100 kilometres travelled, and
¢15/km for any distance exceeding 100 kilometres. Draw a graph to model the cost
versus distance travelled.

Example 2b: Determine the function that models this situation.

Example 2c: How much will it cost to travel 500 kilometres over the weekend?

Conclusion: Piecewise functions are useful when we cannot model a situation with a
single function. By breaking the domain into pieces (specific intervals), we can properly
model the situation.

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