EXTENSION MATERIAL

6 More about functions

Try this worksheet after you have completed section 6.1.

Functions
➔ ‘A function is a mathematical rule for mapping an object onto its image.
The set of objects is called the domain of the function.
The set of images is called the range of the function.

EXAMPLE 1
The function, f, maps from the domain {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} according to the rule f (x) = 3x − 4.
What is the range of f ?

Answer
f (1) = 3(1) − 4 ⇒ f (1) = −1 Use the rule f (x) = 3x – 4 to work out the
f (2) = 3(2) − 4 ⇒ f (2) = 2 image of each point in the domain.
f (3) = 3(3) − 4 ⇒ f (3) = 5
f (4) = 3(4) − 4 ⇒ f (4) = 8
f (5) = 3(5) − 4 ⇒ f (5) = 11
The range of f is {−1, 2, 5, 8, 11} Write the image values as a set.

If the domain of f in Example 1 is changed to {x : 1 ≤ x < 5} then the range becomes

{−1 ≤ f (x) < 11}
• The domain {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} is a set of discrete points and so is the range.
• The domain {x : 1 ≤ x < 5} and its range are continuous sets of points.

Algebraic notation
You can use any letter as the variable in a function, not just x.
So, for example, if f (x) = 3 − 2x, then
f (z) = 3 − 2z
f (x2) = 3 − 2x2
f (5x) = 3 − 2(5x) = 3 − 10x
f (x − 3) = 3 − 2(x − 3) = 3 − 2x + 6 = 9 − 2x

Exercise 1
1 Given f  z  3  2 z , evaluate f (5) f (−5) f (x) f (2x) f (x + 5)
2 Given f  t  3t  5, evaluate f (2) f (−3) f (x) f (2x) f (x − 4)
1
3 Given g  y  y , evaluate
2
g (5) g( 2 ) g (x) g (3x) g (x + 3)
3
4 Given g  z  , evaluate g (2) g (15) g (x) g (2x) g (x + 5)
z
z2
5 Given f  z  , evaluate f (4) f (0) f (x) f (2x) f (x − 4)
z 1

© Oxford University Press 2012: this may be reproduced for class use solely for the purchaser’s institute Extension worksheet 1
 EXTENSION MATERIAL

A strange function
The function g (x, h) is given by the formula
f ( x  h)  f ( x )
g ( x , h)
h

The function g is strange because it is given in terms of another function, f (x), as well as
being in terms of x and in terms of another variable, h. So, to evaluate it fully, you need
to know three variables – h, x, and f (x).
Examples 2, 3 and 4 are about functions like these.

EXAMPLE 2
f ( x  h)  f ( x )
Find g ( x , h ) when f ( x ) 5x
h

Answer
f ( x + h) − f ( x )
g ( x , h) = Substitute for f(x).
h
5( x + h ) − 5 x
= Expand the brackets.
h
5 x + 5h − 5 x
= Simplify numerator.
h
5h Divide.
=
h
=5

In Example 2, notice that the values for x and h cancel out and you get g ( x , h) 5.
So, g (x, h) is a constant no matter what value you choose for x and no matter
what value you choose for h. This is a little curious.

EXAMPLE 3
f ( x  h)  f ( x )
Find g ( x , h) when f ( x ) 3x  2
h

Answer
f ( x + h) − f ( x )
g ( x , h) =
h

=
[3( x + h ) − 2] − [3 x − 2]
h
3 x + 3h − 2 − 3 x + 2
=
h
3h
=
h
=3

Again, as in Example 2 everything cancels and g(x, h) = 3.

Exercise 2
Find g(x, y) for these functions f (x).
1 f (x) = 8x – 5 2 f (x) = 8 – 5x 3 f (x) = 7x + 5
4 f (x) = 8 – x 5 f (x) = ax + b

You can see from the answers to the exercise that, in all the cases where f (x) is a
linear function of x, g(x, h) is a constant – in fact g(x, h) is the coefficient of x in the
expression for f (x).

© Oxford University Press 2012: this may be reproduced for class use solely for the purchaser’s institute Extension worksheet 2
 EXTENSION MATERIAL

Quadratic functions
What happens when f (x) is a quadratic function?

EXAMPLE 4
Find g (x, y) when f (x) = 3x2

Answer
f ( x + h) − f ( x )
g (x ) =
h
3( x + h )2 − 3( x )2 Substituting for f(x).
=
h
3( x 2 + 2 xh + h 2 ) − 3 x 2 Expanding the brackets.
=
h
3 x 2 + 6 xh + 3h 2 − 3 x 2 Expanding the brackets further.
=
h
6 xh + 3h 2 Simplifying the numerator.
=
h
h ( 6 x + 3h ) Factorizing the numerator.
=
h
= 6 x + 3h Dividing.

In Example 4 neither the x-term nor the term in h cancel. You would need to know the
values of these to evaluate g(x, h).
Ask your teacher how you could
Exercise 3 extend this to cubic functions
and relate the results to the
Repeat the procedure from Example 4 with these functions. calculus.
1 f (x) = x 2
As a challenge, you could
2 f (x) = 2x 2
consider the quadratic functions
3 f (x) = −x 2 f(x) = ax2 + bx and
f(x) = ax2 + bx + c
4 f (x) = ax 2

© Oxford University Press 2012: this may be reproduced for class use solely for the purchaser’s institute Extension worksheet 3
 EXTENSION MATERIAL

Chapter 6 extension worked solutions

Exercise 1
1 f (5) = – 7 f (–5) = 13 f (x) = 3 – 2 x
f (2x) = 3 – 2(2x) = 3 – 4x f (2x) = 3 – 2(x + 5) = –7 – 2x
2 f (2) = 11 f (–3) = – 4 f (x) = 3x + 5
f (2x) = 3(2x) + 5 = 6x + 5 f (x – 4) = 3(x – 4) + 5 = 3x – 7

3 g (5) = 25 g⎜
⎛1⎞ =1 g (x) = x2
⎟
⎝2⎠ 4
g (3x) = (3x)2 = 9x2 g (x + 3) = (x + 3)2 = x2 + 6x + 9
3
4 g (2) = 1.5 g (15) = 0.2 g (x) = x
3 3
g (2x) = g (x + 5) =
2x ( x + 5)
x2
5 f (4) = 3.2 f (0) = 0 f (x) = x +1
(2 x )2 4x 2 ( x − 4 )2 x 2 − 8 x + 16
f (2x) = = f (x – 4) = =
(2 x ) + 1 2x + 1 (x − 4) + 1 x −3

Exercise 2
f ( x + h) − f ( x )
1 g ( x , h) =
h

=
[ 8( x + h ) − 5] − [8x − 5]
h
8x + 8h − 5 − 8x + 5
=
h
8h
=
h
=8

f ( x + h) - f ( x )
2 g ( x , h) =
h

=
[ 8 - 5( x + h )] - [8 - 5 x ]
h
8 - 5 x - 5h - 8 + 5 x
=
h
= -5h
h
= -5

f ( x  h)  f ( x )
3 g ( x , h)
h
>7( x  h )  5@  [7 x  5]
h
7 x  7h  5  7 x  5
h
7h
h
7

f ( x + h) - f ( x )
4 g ( x , h) =
h

=
[ 8 - ( x + h )] - [8 - x ]
h
8- x -h -8+ x
=
h
-h
=
h
= -1

© Oxford University Press 2012: this may be reproduced for class use solely for the purchaser’s institute Extension worksheet 4
 EXTENSION MATERIAL

f ( x + h) - f ( x )
5 g ( x , h) =
h

=
[ a ( x + h ) + b ] - [ax + b ]
h
ax + ah + b - ax - b
=
h
= ah
h
=a

Exercise 3
f ( x + h) − f ( x )
1 g ( x , h) =
h
⎡⎣( x + h )2 ⎤⎦ − [ x 2 ]
=
h
x 2 + 2 xh + h 2 − x 2
=
h
2 xh + h 2
=
h
= 2x + h

f ( x + h) − f ( x )
2 g ( x , h) =
h
⎡⎣2( x + h )2 ⎦⎤ − [2 x 2 ]
=
h
2 x 2 + 4 xh + 2h 2 − 2 x 2
=
h
4 xh + 2h 2
=
h
= 4 x + 2h

f ( x + h) − f ( x )
3 g ( x , h) =
h
⎡⎣ −( x + h )2 ⎤⎦ − [− x 2 ]
=
h
− x 2 − 2 xh − h 2 + x 2
=
h
−2 xh − h 2
=
h
= −2x − h

f ( x + h) − f ( x )
4 g ( x , h) =
h
⎡⎣a ( x + h )2 ⎤⎦ − [ax 2 ]
=
h
ax 2 + 2axh + ah 2 − ax 2
=
h
2axh + ah 2
=
h
= 2ax + ah

© Oxford University Press 2012: this may be reproduced for class use solely for the purchaser’s institute Extension worksheet 5