EXPERIENCE COLLEGE BEFORE COLLEGE

HW 1.5.3: Piecewise Functions

Given each function, evaluate: f (-1) , f (0) , f (2) , f (4)

⎧⎪ 4x +5 if x <0 ⎧⎪ 6x −12 if x <0
()
1. f x = ⎨ ()
2. f x = ⎨
⎩⎪ 4x + 8 if x ≥0 ⎩⎪ 6x −16 if x ≥0

⎧ x 2 −5 if x <4 ⎧ 2− x 3 if x < −2
⎪
()
3. f x = ⎨
8+ x −9 if x ≥4
() ⎪
4. f x = ⎨
⎪
⎩ ⎪⎩ x + 3 if x ≥ −2

⎧ 9x if x <0 ⎧ 3x 3 + 8 if x <0
⎪⎪ ⎪⎪
()
5. f x = ⎨ 14 if 0≤ x ≤1 ()
6. f x = ⎨ 10 if 0≤ x ≤1
⎪ 2x 2 if x >1 ⎪ 7x +14 if x >1
⎪⎩ ⎪⎩

Write a formula for the piecewise function graphed below.

7. 8.

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 EXPERIENCE COLLEGE BEFORE COLLEGE

9. 10.

11. 12.

Sketch a graph of each piecewise function

⎧ x if x < 2 ⎧⎪ 4 if x <0
⎪
()
13. f x = ⎨ ()
14. f x = ⎨
x ≥0
⎪⎩ 5 if x ≥ 2 ⎪⎩ x if

⎧⎪ x 2 if x <0 ⎧⎪ x +1 if x <1
()
15. f x = ⎨ ()
16. f x = ⎨
⎪⎩ x + 2 if x ≥0 x ≥1
3
⎪⎩ x if

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 EXPERIENCE COLLEGE BEFORE COLLEGE

⎧ 3 if x ≤ −2 ⎧ −3 if x ≤ −2
⎪⎪ ⎪⎪
()
17. f x = ⎨ −x +1 if −2 < x ≤ 1 ()
18. f x = ⎨ x −1 if −2 < x ≤ 2
⎪ 3 if x >1 ⎪ 0 if x >2
⎪⎩ ⎪⎩

19. For n copies of the book A Day in the Life, a print on-demand company charges C(n)
dollars, where C(n) is determined by the formula

⎧20n if 1 ≤ n ≤ 30
⎪
C(n) = ⎨15.50n if 30 < n ≤ 45
⎪10n if n > 45
⎩

a. Find and interpret C(15)

b. How much does it cost to order 45 copies of the book? What about 46 copies?

c. Your answer to 19b should get you thinking. Suppose a bookstore estimates it will
sell 45 copies of the book. How many books can, in fact, be ordered for the same
price as those 45 copies? (Round your answer to a whole number of books.)

20. An on-line clothing retailer charges shipping costs according to the following formula

⎧2n + 5.5 if 1 ≤ n < 25

S(n) = ⎨
⎩0 if n ≥ 25

where n is the number of clothing items and S(n) is the shipping cost in dollars.

a. What is the cost to ship 15 clothing items?

b. What is the significance of the formula S(n) = 0 for n ≥ 25?

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 EXPERIENCE COLLEGE BEFORE COLLEGE

21. The cost C (in dollars) to send m text messages a month on a mobile phone plan is
modeled by

⎧ 30 if 0 ≤ m ≤ 2500
C(m) = ⎨
⎩ 30 + 0.2(m − 2500) if m > 2500

a. How much does it cost to send 1000 text messages per month with this plan?

b. How much does it cost to send 90 text messages each day for a month with this
plan?

c. Explain the terms of the plan verbally.

22. The set of integers as ! = {. . . , −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3, . . .}. The greatest integer of x,
denoted by ⎢⎣ x ⎥⎦ , is defined to be the largest integer k with k ≤ x.

a. Find ⎢⎣ 0.625 ⎥⎦ , ⎣⎢141⎦⎥ , ⎢⎣ −4.002 ⎥⎦ , and ⎢⎣π + 2 ⎥⎦

b. Discuss with your classmates how ⎢⎣ x ⎥⎦ may be described as a piecewise defined

function. HINT: There are infinitely many pieces!

c. Is ⎢⎣ a ⎥⎦ + ⎢⎣b ⎥⎦ = ⎢⎣ a + b ⎥⎦ always true? What if a or b is an integer? Test some values,

make a conjecture, and explain your result.

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 EXPERIENCE COLLEGE BEFORE COLLEGE

Selected Answers:

1. 𝑓(−1) = 1; 𝑓(0) = 8; 𝑓(2) = 16; 𝑓(4) = 24

3. 𝑓(−1) = −4; 𝑓(0) = −5; 𝑓(2) = −1; 𝑓(4) = 13

5. 𝑓(−1) = −9; 𝑓(0) = 14; 𝑓(2) = 8; 𝑓(4) = 32

2 𝑖𝑓 −6 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ −1
3 𝑖𝑓 𝑥≤0
7. 𝑓(𝑥) = 1−2 𝑖𝑓 −1 < 𝑥 ≤ 2 9. 𝑓(𝑥) = 5
𝑥! 𝑖𝑓 𝑥>0
−4 𝑖𝑓 2<𝑥≤4

2𝑥 + 3 𝑖𝑓 3 ≤ 𝑥 < −1
11. 𝑓(𝑥) = 1 𝑥 − 1 𝑖𝑓 −1 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 2
−3 𝑖𝑓 2<𝑥≤5

13. 15. 17.

20. a. S(10) = 35.5 , so it costs $35.50 to ship 15 clothing items.

b. There is free shipping on orders of 25 or more clothing items.

22.a. ⎢⎣ 0.625 ⎥⎦ = 0 , ⎣⎢141⎦⎥ = 141 , ⎢⎣ −4.002 ⎥⎦ = −5 , and ⎢⎣π + 2 ⎥⎦ = 5

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