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Basic Types of Functions

There are several basic types of functions including linear, quadratic, power, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and sinusoidal functions. Linear functions are of the form y=mx+b and produce straight lines. Quadratic functions are of the form y=ax^2+bx+c and produce parabolic curves. Power functions raise the variable x to some constant power and include many physical laws.

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Mark Navato
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335 views

Basic Types of Functions

There are several basic types of functions including linear, quadratic, power, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and sinusoidal functions. Linear functions are of the form y=mx+b and produce straight lines. Quadratic functions are of the form y=ax^2+bx+c and produce parabolic curves. Power functions raise the variable x to some constant power and include many physical laws.

Uploaded by

Mark Navato
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BASIC TYPES OF FUNCTIONS

Linear functions. These are functions of the form:


y = m x + b,
where m and b are constants. A typical use for linear functions is converting from one quantity or set
of units to another. Graphs of these functions are straight lines. m is the slope and b is the y intercept.
If m is positive then the line rises to the right and if m is negative then the line falls to the right

Quadratic functions. These are functions of the form:


y = a x 2+ b x + c,
where a, b and c are constants. Their graphs are called parabolas. This is the next simplest type of
function after the linear function. Falling objects move along parabolic paths. If a is a positive number
then the parabola opens upward and if a is a negative number then the parabola opens downward

Power functions. These are functions of the form:


y = a x b,
where a and b are constants. They get their name from the fact that the variable x is raised to some
power. Many physical laws (e.g. the gravitational force as a function of distance between two objects,
or the bending of a beam as a function of the load on it) are in the form of power functions. We will
assume that a = 1 and look at several cases for b:

The power b is a positive integer. See the graph to the right. When x = 0 these functions are all zero.
When x is big and positive they are all big and positive. When x is big and negative then the ones
with even powers are big and positive while the ones with odd powers are big and negative.

The power b is a negative integer. See the graph to the right. When x = 0 these functions suffer a
division by zero and therefore are all infinite. When x is big and positive they are small and positive.
When x is big and negative then the ones with even powers are small and positive while the ones
with odd powers are small and negative.

The power b is a fraction between 0 and 1. See the graph to the right. When x = 0 these
functions are all zero. The curves are vertical at the origin and as x increases they increase but
curve toward the x axis.

Polynomial functions. These are functions of the form:


y = an · x n + an −1 · x n −1 + … + a2 · x 2 + a1 · x + a0,
where an, an −1, … , a2, a1, a0 are constants. Only whole number powers of x are allowed. The
highest power of x that occurs is called the degree of the polynomial. The graph shows examples of
degree 4 and degree 5 polynomials. The degree gives the maximum number of “ups and downs”
that the polynomial can have and also the maximum number of crossings of the x axis that it can
have.

Polynomials are useful for generating smooth curves in computer graphics applications and for approximating other types of functions.
Rational functions. These functions are the ratio of two polynomials. One field of study where they are important is in stability
analysis of mechanical and electrical systems (which uses Laplace transforms).

When the polynomial in the denominator is zero then the rational function becomes infinite as
indicated by a vertical dotted line (called an asymptote) in its graph. For the example to the
right this happens when x = −2 and when x = 7.

When x becomes very large the curve may level off. The curve to the right levels off at y = 5.

The graph to the right shows another example of a rational function. This one has a
division by zero at x = 0. It doesn't level off but does approach the straight line y =
x when x is large, as indicated by the dotted line (another asymptote).

Exponential functions. These are functions of the form:


y = a b x,
where x is in an exponent (not in the base as was the case for power functions) and a and b are
constants. (Note that only b is raised to the power x; not a.) If the base b is greater than 1 then the
result is exponential growth. Many physical quantities grow exponentially (e.g. animal
populations and cash in an interest-bearing account).

If the base b is smaller than 1 then the result is exponential decay. Many quantities decay
exponentially (e.g. the sunlight reaching a given depth of the ocean and the speed of an object
slowing down due to friction).

Logarithmic functions. There are many equivalent ways to define logarithmic functions. We will
define them to be of the form:
y = a ln (x) + b,
where x is in the natural logarithm and a and b are constants. They are only defined for positive x.
For small x they are negative and for large xthey are positive but stay small. Logarithmic functions
accurately describe the response of the human ear to sounds of varying loudness and the response of
the human eye to light of varying brightness.

Sinusoidal functions. These are functions of the form:


y = a sin (b x + c),
where a, b and c are constants. Sinusoidal functions are useful for describing anything that has a
wave shape with respect to position or time. Examples are waves on the water, the height of the
tide during the course of the day and alternating current in electricity. Parameter a (called the
amplitude) affects the height of the wave, b (the angular velocity) affects the width of the wave
and c (the phase angle) shifts the wave left or right.

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