DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS

MAT111 INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICS I

LESSON 11
FUNCTIONS
Recall the following definition of Cartesian product of two sets:

Definition 1. Suppose A and B are sets. The Cartesian product of A and B, denoted by
A × B, is the set which contains every ordered pair whose first coordinate is an element
of A and second coordinate is an element of B; that is,

A × B = {(a, b) : a ∈ A and b ∈ B}.

Example 2. If A = {1, 2, 3, 4} and B = {5, 10}, then

A × B = {(1, 5), (1, 10), (2, 5), (2, 10), (3, 5), (3, 10), (4, 5), (4, 10)}.

Definition 3 (Equality of ordered Pairs). Two ordered pairs (a, b) and (c, d) are equal if
and only if a = c and b = d. That is, (a, b) = (c, d) ⇔ a = c and b = d.

Many everyday phenomena involve two quantities that are related to each other by
some rule of correspondence. The mathematical term for such a rule of correspondence
is a relation. If A and B are sets, any subset of A × B is called a relation from A into
B.

Definition 4 (Definition of a Function). A function f from a set A to a set B, denoted

f : A → B, is a relation that assigns to each element x in the set A exactly one element
y in the set B. The set A is the domain (or set of inputs) of the function f, and the set
B contains the range (or set of outputs).

Function Notation: y = f (x)

1. x is the independent variable (input value)

2. y is the dependent variable (output value)

3. f (x) is the value of the function at x.

Characteristics of a Function f from Set A to Set B

1. Each element of A must be matched with an element of B.

2. Some elements of B may not be matched with any element of A.

3. Two or more elements of A may be matched with the same element of B

4. An element of A (the domain) cannot be matched with two different elements of B.

Example 5. Example of a Function

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 A f (x) = 2x + 3 B
-1 1
0 3
1 5
2 7
3 9
4 11
Domain Range

Example 6. Example of a Function

A √ B
f (x) = x
0 0
1 1
4 2
9 3
16 4
25 5
Domain Range
√
Example 7. If f (x) = x, then

Domain of f = Dom(f ) = [0, ∞).

Rang of f = Ran(f ) = [0, ∞).

Example 8 (Testing for Functions). Does the relation describe a function? Explain your
reasoning.

A B A B
−2 5 −2 3
−1 6 −1 4
(a) 0 7 (b) 3 5
1 8 4 6
2 9 5 10

In algebra, it is common to represent functions by equations or formulas involving

two variables. For instance, the equation

y = x2

represents the variable y as a function of the variable x. In this equation, x is the inde-
pendent variable and y is the dependent variable.
• Domain: The domain of the function is the set of all values taken on by the
independent variable x.
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 • Range: The range of the function is the set of all values taken on by the dependent
variable y.
Example 9. Testing for Functions Represented Algebraically. Determine whether
the equation represents y as a function of x.
(a) x2 + y = 3
(b) y 2 − x = 1
Solution. To determine whether y is a function of x, try to solve for y in terms of x.
(a) Solving for y
x2 + y = 1 Write original equation.
y = 1 − x2 Solve for y.
Each value of x corresponds to exactly one value of y. So, y is a function of x.
(b) Solving for y
− x + y2 = 1 Write original equation.
y2 = x + 1 Add x to each side.
√
y =± x+1 Solve for y.
The ± indicates that for a given value of x there correspond two values of y. For
instance, when x = 3, y = 2 or y = −2. So,y is not a function of x.
Function Notation. When an equation is used to represent a function, it is convenient
to name the function so that it can be referenced easily. For example, you know that the
equation y = 1 − x2 describes y as a function of x. Suppose you give this function the
name “f ”. Then you can use the following function notation.
Input Output Equation
x f (x) f (x) = 1 − x2
Remark 10. Function Notation
♣ The symbol f (x) is read as the value of f at x, or simply f of x.
♣ The symbol f (x) corresponds to the y-value for a given x. So, you can write y =
f (x).
♣ Keep in mind that f is the name of the function, whereas f (x) is the output value
of the function at the input value x.
♣ In function notation, the input is the independent variable and the output is
the dependent variable.
Although f is often used as a convenient function name and x is often used as the
independent variable, you can use other letters. For instance,
f (x) = x2 − 4x + 7, f (t) = t2 − 4t + 7, and g(s) = s2 − 4s + 7,
all define the same function. In fact, the role of the independent variable is that of a
”placeholder.” Consequently, the function could be written as
f () = ()2 − 4() + 7.
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Example 11 (Evaluating a Function). Let g(x) = −x2 + 4x + 1. Find each value of the
function.

(a) g(2)
(b) g(t)
(c) g(x + 2)

Solution.
(a) Replacing x with 2 in g(x) = −x2 + 4x + 1 yields the following.

g(2) = −(22 ) + 4(2) + 1 = −4 + 8 + 1 = 5.

(b) Replacing x with t in g(x) = −x2 + 4x + 1 yields the following.

g(t) = −(t)2 + 4(t) + 1 = −t2 + 4t + 1.

(c) Replacing x with x + 2 in g(x) = −x2 + 4x + 1 yields the following.

g(x + 2) = −(x + 2)2 + 4(x + 2) + 1 Substitute x + 2 for x

= −(x2 + 4x + 4) + 4x + 8 + 1 Multiply
= −x2 − 4x − 4 + 4x + 8 + 1 Distributive Property
= −x2 + 5 Simplify.

Definition 12 (A Piecewise-Defined Function). A function defined by two or more

equations over a specified domain is called a piecewise-defined function.
Example 13 (The parent absolute value function f (x) = |x|). The function f (x) =
|x| can be written as a piecewise-defined function

x, x≥0
f (x) = |x| =
−x, x < 0.

y
2

x
−2 −1 1 2
−1

−2

Example 14 (A Piecewise-Defined Function). Evaluate the function when x = −1

and x = 0. 
x2 + 1, x<0
f (x) =
 x − 1, x ≥ 0.
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 y
4

x
−2 −1 1 2 3 4

−2

Solution. Because −1 is less than 0, use f (x) = x2 + 1 to obtain

f (−1) = (−1)2 + 1 = 1 + 1 = 2.

Because 0 is greater than 0, use f (x) = x − 1 to obtain

f (0) = 0 − 1 = −1.

THE DOMAIN OF A FUNCTION

The domain of a function can be described explicitly or it can be implied by the expression
used to define the function.

Definition 15 (Implied Domain). The implied domain is the set of all real numbers for
which the expression is defined. Common type of implied domain:

1. excludes x-values that result in division by zero.

2. avoids even roots of negative numbers.

Example 16 (Finding the Domain of a Function). Find the implied domain of the func-
tion
1
f (x) = 2 .
x −4
Solution. Excluding x-values that yield zero in the denominator, the domain of f is the
set of all real numbers except ±2. These two values are excluded from the domain because
division by zero is undefined.

Example 17 (Finding the Domain of a Function). Find the implied domain of the func-
tion √
f (x) = x.
Solution. Excluding x-values that would cause result in the square root of a negative
number, the domain of f is the interval [0, ∞).

Example 18 (Finding the Domain and Range of a Function). Find the domain and
range of the function √
f (x) = 9 − x2 .

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Solution. To exclude x-values that would cause result in the square root of a negative
number, the function f is defined only for x-values for which

9 − x2 ≥ 0 , (3 − x)(3 + x) ≥ 0.

By solving this inequality, we will find that the domain of f is

−3 ≤ x ≤ 3.

When the x-values extend from to -3 to 3 then the y = f (x)-values extend from 0 to 3.
Therefore, the range of f is
0 ≤ y ≤ 3.
f (x + h) − f (x)
Definition 19. For a function f, the ratio , h 6= 0, is called a differ-
h
ence quotient.
f (x + h) − f (x)
Example 20 (Application). For f (x) = x2 − 4x + 7, find .
h
Solution.
f (x + h) − f (x) [(x + h)2 − 4(x + h) + 7] − [x2 − 4x + 7]
=
h h
[x2 + 2xh + h2 − 4x − 4h + 7] − [x2 − 4x + 7]
=
h
x + 2xh + h − 4x − 4h + 7 − x2 + 4x − 7]
2 2
=
h
2xh − 4h + h2
= = 2x − 4 + h
h
SUMMARY OF FUNCTION TERMINOLOGY
1. FUNCTION
A function is a relationship between two variables such that to each value of the
independent variable there corresponds exactly one value of the dependent variable.
2. FUNCTION NOTATION
y = f (x)
(a) f is the name of the function.
(b) y is the dependent variable, or output value.
(c) x is the independent variable, or input value.
(d) f (x) is the value of the function at x.
3. DOMAIN
The domain of a function is the set of all values (inputs) of the independent
variable for which the function is defined. If x is in the domain of f, then f is said
to be defined at x. If x is not in the domain of f, then f is said to be undefined at
x.
4. RANGE
The range of a function is the set of all values (outputs) assumed by the depen-
dent variable (that is, the set of all function values).
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5. IMPLIED DOMAIN
If f is defined by an algebraic expression and the domain is not specified, then the
implied domain consists of all real numbers for which the expression is defined.
Common type of implied domain:

(a) excludes x-values that result in division by zero.

(b) avoids even roots of negative numbers.