Name Class Date

1.2 
Characteristics of
Function Graphs
Essential Question: W
 hat are some of the attributes of a function, and how are they related
Resource
to the function’s graph? Locker

Identifying Attributes of a Function from Its Graph

Explore  
You can identify several attributes of a function by analyzing its y
graph. For instance, for the graph shown, you can see that the 1.5
function’s domain is {x|0 ≤ x ≤ 11} and its range is {y| −1 ≤ y ≤ 1}. 1
0.5
Use the graph to explore the function’s other attributes. x
0
-0.5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
A The values of the function on the interval {x|1 < x < 3} -1
are positive/negative. -1.5

B The values of the function on the interval {x|8 < x < 9} are positive/negative.

A function is increasing on an interval if ƒ(​x 1​ ​) < ƒ(​x 2​ ​) when x​ ​1​ < ​x 2​ ​for any x-values x​ 1​ ​and x​ ​2​from the interval.
The graph of a function that is increasing on an interval rises from left to right on that interval. Similarly, a function
is decreasing on an interval if ƒ(​x 1​ ​) > ƒ(​x 2​ ​) when x​ ​1​ < ​x 2​ ​for any x-values x​ 1​ ​and x​ ​2​ from the interval. The graph
of a function that is decreasing on an interval falls from left to right on that interval.

C The given function is increasing/decreasing on the interval {x|2 ≤ x ≤ 4}.

D The given function is increasing/decreasing on the interval {x|4 ≤ x ≤ 6}.

For the two points (​x 1​ ​, ƒ(​x 1​ ​)) and (​x ​2​, ƒ(​x 2​ ​)) on the graph of a function, the average rate of change of the function
is the ratio of the change in the function values, ƒ(​x 2​ ​) - ƒ(​x 1​ ​), to the change in the x-values, ​x 2​ ​- ​x 1​ ​. For a linear
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function, the rate of change is constant and represents the slope of the function’s graph.

E What is the given function’s average rate of change on the interval {x|0 ≤ x ≤ 2}?

A function may change from increasing to decreasing or from decreasing to increasing at turning points. The value
of ƒ(x) at a point where a function changes from increasing to decreasing is a maximum value. A maximum value
occurs at a point that appears higher than all nearby points on the graph of the function. Similarly, the value of ƒ(x)
at a point where a function changes from decreasing to increasing is a minimum value. A minimum value occurs
at a point that appears lower than all nearby points on the graph of the function. If the graph of a function has an
endpoint, the value of ƒ(x) at that point is considered a maximum or minimum value of the function if the point is
higher or lower, respectively, than all nearby points.

F At how many points does the given function change from increasing to decreasing?       

Module 1 17 Lesson 2
 What is the function’s value at these points?

 At how many points does the given function change from decreasing to increasing?

 What is the function’s value at these points?

A zero of a function is a value of x for which ƒ(x) = 0. On a graph of the function, the zeros are the x-intercepts.

 How many x-intercepts does the given function’s graph have?

 Identify the zeros of the function.

Reflect

1. Discussion Identify three different intervals that have the same average rate of change, and state what the
rate of change is.

2. Discussion If a function is increasing on an interval {x|a ≤ x ≤ b}, what can you say about its average
rate of change on the interval? Explain.

Explain 1 Sketching a Function’s Graph

from a Verbal Description
By understanding the attributes of a function, you can sketch a graph from a verbal description.

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Example 1 Sketch a graph of the following verbal descriptions.

Probability of Transmission
A Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted to humans by
from Infected Tick
ticks. When an infected tick bites a human, the probability of
transmission is a function of the time since the tick attached y
100
itself to the skin. During the first 24 hours, the probability 90
is 0%. During the next three 24-hour periods, the rate of 80
Probability (%)

change in the probability is always positive, but it is much 70

greater for the middle period than the other two periods. After 60
96 hours, the probability is almost 100%. Sketch a graph of the 50
40
function for the probability of transmission.
30
Identify the axes and scales. 20
10 x
The x-axis will be time (in hours) and will run from 0 to at 0 24 48 72 96 120
least 96. The y-axis will be the probability of infection (as a
percent) from 0 to 100. Time tick attached (h)

Module 1 18 Lesson 2
 Identify key intervals.
The intervals are in increments of 24 hours: 0 to 24, 24 to 48, 48 to 72, 72 to 96, and 96 to 120.

Sketch the graph of the function.

Draw a horizontal segment at y = 0 for the first 24-hour interval. The function increases over the next

three 24-hour intervals with the middle interval having the greatest increase (the steepest slope). After
96 hours, the graph is nearly horizontal at 100%.

B The incidence of a disease is the rate at which a disease occurs in a population. It is

calculated by dividing the number of new cases of a disease in a given time period (typically
a year) by the size of the population. To avoid small decimal numbers, the rate is often
expressed in terms of a large number of people rather than a single person. For instance,
the incidence of measles in the United States in 1974 was about 10 cases per 100,000 people.

From 1974 to 1980, there were drastic fluctuations in the Incidence of

incidence of measles in the United States. In 1975, there was a
Measles in the U.S.
slight increase in incidence from 1974. The next two years saw a
y

Incidence (cases per

substantial increase in the incidence, which reached a maximum
30

100,000 people)
in 1977 of about 26 cases per 100,000 people. From 1977 to
25
1979, the incidence fell to about 5 cases per 100,000 people.
20
The incidence fell much faster from 1977 to 1978 than from 1978
15
to 1979. Finally, from 1979 to 1980, the incidence stayed about
10
the same. Sketch a graph of the function for the incidence of
5 x
measles.
0
Identify the axes and scales. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Time (years since 1974)
The x-axis will represent time given by years and will run from


0 to      . The y-axis will

represent             , measured in cases per 100,000 people, and will run from 0 to 30.

Identify key intervals.

The intervals are one-year increments from       to      .
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Sketch the graph of the function.

The first point on the graph is      . The graph slightly rises/falls from x = 0 to x = 1.


From x = 1 to x = 3, the graph rises/falls to a maximum y-value of      . The graph rises/falls
steeply from x = 3 to x = 4 and then rises/falls less steeply from x = 4 to x = 5. The graph is horizontal
from x = 5 to x = 6.

Reflect

3. In Part B, the graph is horizontal from 1979 to 1980. What can you say about the rate of change for the
function on this interval?

Module 1 19 Lesson 2
 Your Turn

4. A grocery store stocks shelves with 100 cartons of strawberries Strawberries on Shelves
before the store opens. For the first 3 hours the store is open, the
store sells 20 cartons per hour. Over the next 2 hours, no cartons y
100

Cartons of strawberries
of strawberries are sold. The store then restocks 10 cartons each 90
hour for the next 2 hours. In the final hour that the store is open, 80
30 cartons are sold. Sketch a graph of the function. 70
60
50
40
30
20
10 x
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Time since opening (h)

Explain 2 Modeling with a Linear Function

When given a set of paired data, you can use a scatter plot to see whether the data show a linear trend. If so, you can
use a graphing calculator to perform linear regression and obtain a linear function that models the data. You should
treat the least and greatest x-values of the data as the boundaries of the domain of the linear model.

When you perform linear regression, a graphing calculator will report the value of the correlation coefficient r.
This variable can have a value from -1 to 1. It measures the direction and strength of the relationship between the
variables x and y. If the value of r is negative, the y-values tend to decrease as the x-values increase. If the value of r is
positive, the y-values tend to increase as the x-values increase. The more linear the relationship between x and y is, the
closer the value of r is to -1 or 1 (or the closer the value of r 2 is to 1).

You can use the linear model to make predictions and decisions based on the data. Making a prediction within the
domain of the linear model is called interpolation. Making a prediction outside the domain is called extrapolation.

Example 2 Perform a linear regression for the given situation and make predictions.

A A photographer hiked through the Grand Canyon. Each day

Grand Canyon Photos

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she stored photos on a memory card for her digital camera.
When she returned from the trip, she deleted some photos Photos Taken Photos Kept
from each memory card, saving only the best. The table shows 117 25
the number of photos she kept from all those stored on each 128 31
memory card. Use a graphing calculator to create a scatter plot
of the data, find a linear regression model, and graph the 140 39
model. Then use the model to predict the number of photos 157 52
the photographer will keep if she takes 150 photos. 110 21
188 45
170 42

Module 1 20 Lesson 2
 Step 1: Create a scatter plot of the data.
Let x represent the number of photos taken, and let y represent the number
of photos kept. Use a viewing window that shows x-values from 100 to 200
and y-values from 0 to 60.

Notice that the trend in the data appears to be roughly linear, with y-values
generally increasing as x-values increase.

Step 2: Perform linear regression. Write the linear model and its
domain.
The linear regression model is y = 0.33x - 11.33. Its domain is
{x|110 ≤ x ≤ 188}.

Step 3: Graph the model along with the data to obtain a visual check
on the goodness of fit.
Notice that one of the data points is much farther from the line than the
other data points are. The value of the correlation coefficient r would be
closer to 1 without this data point.

Step 4: Predict the number of photos this photographer will keep if

she takes 150 photos.
Evaluate the linear function when x = 150: y = 0.33(150) - 11.33 ≈ 38.
So, she will keep about 38 photos if she takes 150 photos.

B As a science project, Shelley is studying the relationship of car mileage (in miles per gallon)
and speed (in miles per hour). The table shows the data Shelley gathered using her family’s
vehicle. Use a graphing calculator to create a scatter plot of the data, find a linear regression
model, and graph the model. Then use the model to predict the gas mileage of the car at a
speed of 20 miles per hour.

Speed (mi/h) 30 40 50 60 70
Mileage (mi/gal) 34.0 33.5 31.5 29.0 27.5

Step 1: Create a scatter plot of the data.

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What do x and y represent?

What viewing window will you use?

What trend do you observe?

Module 1 21 Lesson 2
 Step 2: Perform linear regression. Write the linear model and its domain.

 tep 3: Graph the model along with the data to obtain a visual check
S
on the goodness of fit.
What can you say about the goodness of fit?

Step 4: Predict the gas mileage of the car at a speed of 20 miles per hour.

Reflect

5. Identify whether each prediction in Parts A and B is an interpolation or an extrapolation.

Your Turn

6. Vern created a website for his school’s sports teams. He has a hit counter on his
site that lets him know how many people have visited the site. The table shows the
number of hits the site received each day for the first two weeks. Use a graphing

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calculator to find the linear regression model. Then predict how many hits there will
be on day 15.

Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Hits 5 10 21 24 28 36 33 21 27 40 46 50 31 38

Module 1 22 Lesson 2
 Elaborate
7. How are the attributes of increasing and decreasing related to average rate of change? How are the
attributes of maximum and minimum values related to the attributes of increasing and decreasing?

8. How can line segments be used to sketch graphs of functions that model real-world situations?

9. When making predictions based on a linear model, would you expect interpolated or extrapolated values to
be more accurate? Justify your answer.
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10. Essential Question Check-In What are some of the attributes of a function?

Module 1 23 Lesson 2
 Evaluate: Homework and Practice
• Online Homework
The graph shows a function that models the value V (in millions of dollars) of a • Hints and Help
stock portfolio as a function of time t (in months) over an 18-month period. • Extra Practice

3 V
Value (millions of dollars)

t
0
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Time (months)

1. On what interval is the function decreasing?

On what intervals is the function increasing?

2. Identify any maximum values and minimum values.

3. What are the function’s domain and range?

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The table of values gives the probability P(n) for
getting all 5’s when rolling a number cube n times. n 1 2 3 4 5

P(n) 1
_ 1
_ _
1 _1 _1
6 36 216 1296 7776

4. Is P(n) increasing or decreasing? Explain the significance of this.

5. What is the end behavior of P(n)? Explain the significance of this.

Module 1 24 Lesson 2
 6. The table shows some values of a function. On which intervals is the function’s average rate of change
positive? Select all that apply.

x 0 1 2 3

f(x) 50 75 40 65

a. From x = 0 to x = 1 c. From x = 0 to x = 3 e. From x = 1 to x = 3

b. From x = 0 to x = 2 d. From x = 1 to x = 2 f. From x = 2 to x = 3

Use the graph of the function ƒ​(x)​to identify the function’s specified attributes.

7. Find the function’s average rate of change over each interval.

a. From x = -3 to x = -2 b. From x = -2 to x = 1 y
4
f(x)
2
c. From x = 0 to x = 1 d. From x = 1 to x = 2
x
-4 -2 0 4
-2
e. From x = -1 to x = 0 f. From x = -1 to x = 2
-4

8. On what intervals are the function’s values positive?

9. On what intervals are the function’s values negative?

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10. What are the zeros of the function?

11. The following describes the United States nuclear stockpile from y
35
Warheads (1000s)

1944 to 1974. From 1944 to 1958, there was a gradual increase in the
30
number of warheads from 0 to about 5000. From 1958 to 1966, there
25
was a rapid increase in the number of warheads to a maximum of
20
about 32,000. From 1966 to 1970, there was a decrease in the number 15
of warheads to about 26,000. Finally, from 1970 to 1974, there was 10
a small increase to about 28,000 warheads. Sketch a graph of the 5 x
function.
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32
Time (years since 1944)

Module 1 25 Lesson 2
12. The following describes the unemployment rate in the

Unemployment rate (%)

y
United States from 2003 to 2013. In 2003, the unemployment 14
rate was at 6.3%. The unemployment rate began to fall over 12
the years and reached a minimum of about 4.4% in 2007. 10
A recession that began in 2007 caused the unemployment rate 8
to increase over a two-year period and reach a maximum of 6
about 10% in 2009. The unemployment rate then decreased 4
2 x
over the next four years to about 7.0% in 2013. Sketch a graph
of the function. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Time (years since 2003)

13. The following describes the incidence of mumps in the

(cases per 100,000 people)

United States from 1984 to 2004. From 1984 to 1985, there was y

Incidence of mumps
7
no change in the incidence of mumps, staying at about 1 case
6
per 100,000 people. Then there was a spike in the incidence of 5
mumps, which reached a peak of about 5.5 cases per 100,000 4
in 1987. Over the next year, there was a sharp decline in the 3
incidence of mumps, to about 2 cases per 100,000 people in 2
1988. Then, from 1988 to 1989, there was a small increase to 1 x
about 2.5 cases per 100,000 people. This was followed by a 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
gradual decline, which reached a minimum of about 0.1 case per Time (years since 1984)
100,000 in 1999. For the next five years, there was no change in
the incidence of mumps. Sketch a graph of the function.

14. Aviation The table gives the lengths and wingspans of airplanes in an airline’s fleet.

737 Super 80 757 767 A300 777

130 ft 148 ft 155 ft 178 ft 180 ft 209 ft

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113 ft 108 ft 124 ft 147 ft 156 ft 200 ft

a. Make a scatter plot of the data with x representing length and y

y representing wingspan. 220
Wingspan (ft)

180
b. Sketch a line of fit.
140
c. Use the line of fit to predict the wingspan of an airplane with
a length of 220 feet. 100

60 x
0 120 160 200 240 280
Airplane length (ft)

Module 1 26 Lesson 2
 15. Golf The table shows the height (in feet) of a golf ball at various times (in
seconds) after a golfer hits the ball into the air.

Time (s) 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4

Height (ft) 0 28 48 60 64 60 48 28 0

a. Graph the data in the table. Then draw a smooth curve through
the data points. (Because the golf ball is a projectile, its height h h
70
at time t can be modeled by a quadratic function whose graph is a 60

Height (ft)
parabola.) 50
40
b. What is the maximum height that the golf ball reaches? 30
20
10 t
c. On what interval is the golf ball’s height increasing? 0 1 2 3 4
Time (s)

d. On what interval is the golf ball’s height decreasing?

16. The model a = 0.25t + 29 represents the median age a of females in the
United States as a function of time t (in years since 1970).
a. Predict the median age of females in 1995.

b. Predict the median age of females in 2015 to the nearest tenth.

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (t) ©Ocean/
Corbis; (b) ©Val Lawless/Shutterstock

Module 1 27 Lesson 2
 H.O.T. Focus on Higher Order Thinking

17. Make a Prediction Anthropologists who study skeletal

remains can predict a woman’s height just from the length of
her humerus, the bone between the elbow and the shoulder.
The table gives data for humerus length and overall height
for various women.

Humerus Length (cm) 35 27 30 33 25 39 27 31

Height (cm) 167 146 154 165 140 180 149 155

Using a graphing calculator, find the linear regression model and state its domain.
Then predict a woman’s height from a humerus that is 32 cm long, and tell whether
the prediction is an interpolation or an extrapolation.

18. Make a Prediction Hummingbird wing beat rates are

much higher than those in other birds. The table gives

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (t)

data about the mass and the frequency of wing beats for

©decade3d/Shutterstock; (b) ©Frank Leung/Vetta/Getty Images

various species of hummingbirds.

Mass (g) 3.1 2.0 3.2 4.0 3.7 1.9 4.5

Frequency of Wing Beats 60 85 50 45 55 90 40

(beats per second)

a. Using a graphing calculator, find the linear regression model and state its domain.

Module 1 28 Lesson 2
 b. Predict the frequency of wing beats for a Giant Hummingbird with a mass of 19 grams.

c. Comment on the reasonableness of the prediction and what, if anything, is wrong with the model.

19. Explain the Error A student calculates a function’s average rate of change on an interval and finds that
it is 0. The student concludes that the function is constant on the interval. Explain the student’s error, and
give an example to support your explanation.

20. Communicate Mathematical Ideas Describe a way to obtain a linear model for a set of data without
using a graphing calculator.
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Module 1 29 Lesson 2
Lesson Performance Task
Since 1980 scientists have used data from satellite sensors to calculate
Arctic Sea Ice Extent
a daily measure of Arctic sea ice extent. Sea ice extent is calculated

Sea Ice Extent (million km2)

as the sum of the areas of sea ice covering the ocean where the ice 16
concentration is greater than 15%. The graph here shows seasonal 14
variations in sea ice extent for 2012, 2013, and the average values for 12
the 1980s. 10
8
a. According to the graph, during which month does sea ice extent 6 1980’s Average
usually reach its maximum? During which month does the 4 2012
minimum extent generally occur? What can you infer about the 2 2013
reason for this pattern? 0

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
b. Sea ice extent reached its lowest level to date in 2012. About how
much less was the minimum extent in 2012 compared with the Months
average minimum for the 1980s? About what percentage of the
1980s average minimum was the 2012 minimum?

c. How does the maximum extent in 2012 compare with the average maximum for the 1980s?
About what percentage of the 1980s average maximum was the 2012 maximum?

d. What do the patterns in the maximum and minimum values suggest about how climate
change may be affecting sea ice extent?

e. How do the 2013 maximum and minimum values compare with those for 2012? What
possible explanation can you suggest for the differences?

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Module 1 30 Lesson 2