Lecture 1: Functions

By
Assoc. Prof. Khaled M. Abdelgaber
Definition: (Real valued function)
Let X and Y be sets of real numbers and let f : X → Y be a
relation from X into Y . Then f is considered as a real valued
function if there is a unique number y  Y for each number
x X .

For example, the relation y 2 = x is not a function because

there are two values for y (not unique) at one value of x (there
are two values y = 1 corresponding to the value x = 1).
 X f Y X g Y

x1 x1
y1 y1
x2 x2
y2 y2
x3 x3

Domain of Range of
f f

The relation f is a function but the relation g is not

From the definition, it can be stated that:
1. the quantity x is the input, the argument, or the
independent variable of the function f while
2. the quantity y or f (x) is the output, the value of the
function at x , the image of x under f , or the dependent
variable of the function f .
Definitions: (Domain and range)

Let D f and Y be sets of real numbers and let f : D f → Y be

a real valued function.

1. The set D f is the domain of f .

2. The set R f = { f ( x) : x  D f } is the range of f where

Rf  Y .
Definitions: (Graph of function and vertical line test)

Let D f and Y be sets of real numbers and let f : D f → Y

be a real valued function.

The graph of function f is the set of ordered pairs defined
by { ( x, y ) : y = f ( x) and x  D f } in the cartesian plane.
Definition: (Polynomial)
• A polynomial is any function in the form
f ( x) = an x n + an −1 x n −1 +  + a1 x + a0
where a0 , a1 , a2 , , an (the coefficients of the
polynomial) are real numbers with a n  0 and n  0 (the
degree of the polynomial) is an integer.
• The domain of a polynomial is ℝ.

For example, the function f ( x) = 3x 5 + 2 x 4 + 7 x 2 + 10 , is a

5th degree polynomial. Some important graphs are represented
by polynomials. For example, the straight line is the graph of a
1st degree polynomial, f ( x ) = a1 x + a0 , while the parabola is the
graph of a quadratic polynomial (2nd degree),
f ( x) = a2 x 2 + a1 x + a0 .
 f ( x) = x 2 f ( x) = x 3
Definitions: (Radical, rational, and power functions)
Let P(x) and Q(x) be polynomials and n is a positive
integer.
• The radical is the function f ( x) = n P( x)
f ( x) = x f ( x) = 3 x
• The rational is the function f ( x) = P( x) Q( x) .

• The power function is f ( x) = x m where m is a real

number.
f ( x) = 1 x f ( x) = 1 x 2
Definition: (Absolute value function)
The absolute value function is a piecewise one defined as
 x if x  0
f ( x) = x = 
− x if x  0
The domain of the absolute value function is ℝ as shown.
Ixf12((xx2) )x1


 f ( x1 )

Definition: (Increasing or decreasing function)

Let f (x) be a function defined on an interval I . Let the
values x1 and x2 belong to the interval I such that x2  x1 .
Then, on the interval I , the function f (x) is:
Increasing and non-decreasing functions
1. increasing if f ( x2 )  f ( x1 ) ,
2. decreasing if f ( x2 )  f ( x1 ) ,
3. non-decreasing if f ( x2 )  f ( x1 ) , or
4. non-increasing if f ( x2 )  f ( x1 ) ,
for all x1 and x2 belong to I .
Decreasing and non-increasing functions
 Definition: (Symmetry)
• The function f (x) is even (symmetric about y − axis) if
f (− x) = f ( x) for all x  D f .

• The function f (x) is odd (symmetric about origin) if

f (− x) = − f ( x) for all x  D f .

For example, the function f ( x) = x 2 is even since

f (− x) = (− x) 2 = x 2 = f ( x) . On the other hand, the function

g ( x) = x 3 is odd since g (− x) = (− x)3 = − x3 = − g ( x) as shown.

Even and odd functions
 (−
0]aaxyyf0x→ 1a)−
=,x
→  01a x
[0=

f ( x) = a x where a  1 f ( x) = a x where 0  a  1
Definition: (Exponential function)
The exponential function is a x where a  0 , a  1 , and x is
any real number.

• Domain  ℝ • Domain  ℝ
Rules: (Laws of exponents)
• Range  ] 0,  [ • Range  ] 0,  [
Let a and b be positive real numbers and let x and y be any
• Increasing function • Decreasing function
real numbers then:
• No x − intercepts ( a x  0 ) • No x − intercepts ( a x  0 )
1. a x a y = a x+ y 2. a x a y = a x − y • y − intercept  y = 1 • y-intersept  y = 1

3. ( a x ) y = a x y 4. ( a b ) x = a x b x • a x →  as x →  • a x →  as x → −
• a x → 0 as x → − • a x → 0 as x → 
The function e x is called the natural exponential function.
 anxxyy 
elog 
=1010((xxx=ny=y))ln ==xnlog =xx+x−log
a x=
log alog
)log
log xlog
a=ayaaxln
xlog loga ayy
log ea
a x =
Definition: log a ln a (Logarithmic function) Graphs and main properties of logarithmic functions
f ( x) = log a x; a  1 f ( x) = log a x; 0  a  1
If x  0 and a  0 ( a  1 ), then the function log a x is called
the logarithmic function such that
y = loga x  a y = x .

Definition: (Natural and common logarithms)

The logarithm with base e and 10 are called the natural and
the common logarithms, respectively. They have the special • Domain  ] 0,  [ • Domain  ] 0,  [
notations
• Range  ℝ • The range is ℝ
log e x = ln x and log 10 x = log x .
• Increasing function • Decreasing function
• No y − intercepts • No y − intercepts
Rules: (Properties of logarithms)
Let a  1 , x , and y be positive numbers then: ( log a (0) is not defined) ( log a (0) is not defined)

1. log a ( x y ) = log a x + log a y • x − intercept  x = 1 • x − intercept  x = 1

2. log a ( x y ) = log a x − log a y • log a x →  as x →  • log a x → − as x → 
loga ( x n ) = n loga x where n is a real number
3.
• log a x → − as x → 0 • log a x →  as x → 0
log x ln x
4. loga x = =
log a ln a
 The Unit Circle, Sine and Cosine
• Measure 𝜃 in radians, given by the
length of the arc indicated in the
figure.
• Define sin 𝜃 and cos 𝜃 to be the 𝑦
and the 𝑥-coordinates of the point
on the circle, respectively.
• It follows that sin 𝜃 and cos 𝜃 are
defined for all values of 𝜃, so that
each has domain 𝜃 ∈ ℝ, while the
range for each of these functions is
the interval −1, 1 .
 Trigonometric Functions
Trigonometric functions of an acute angle 𝜃 are
defined by:
Opp Adj
sin 𝜃 = , cos 𝜃 =
Hyp Hyp 𝜃

sin 𝜃 Opp 1
tan 𝜃 = = , cot 𝜃 =
cos 𝜃 Adj tan 𝜃
1 1
cosec 𝜃 = , sec 𝜃 =
sin 𝜃 cos 𝜃
 Degree vs Radian

We always measure angles in radians.

 Graphs of Sine and Cosine Functions

• Domain: 𝑥 ∈sinℝ𝑥 • Domain: 𝑥cos

∈𝑥ℝ
• Range: −1 ≤ cos 𝑥 ≤ 1 • Range: −1 ≤ sin 𝑥 ≤ 1
• Even: cos −𝑥 = cos 𝑥 • Odd: sin −𝑥 = − sin 𝑥
• Periodic: 𝑃 = 2𝜋 • Periodic: 𝑃 = 2𝜋
𝜋 3𝜋
• 𝑥 -intercepts: 𝑥 = ± , ± ,… • 𝑥 -intercepts: 𝑥 = 0, ±𝜋, ±2𝜋, …
2 2

• 𝑦 -intercept: 𝑦 = 1, • 𝑦 -intercept: 𝑦 = 0,
 Trigonometric Identities

For any real numbers 𝑥 and 𝑦, the following identities hold:

① sin2 𝑥 + cos2 𝑥 = 1.
② sin 𝑥 ± 𝑦 = sin 𝑥 cos 𝑦 ± sin 𝑦 cos 𝑥.
③ cos 𝑥 ± 𝑦 = cos 𝑥 cos 𝑦 ∓ sin 𝑥 sin 𝑦.
④ sin 2𝑥 = 2 sin 𝑥 cos 𝑥.

1
cos2 𝑥 = 1 + cos 2𝑥
2
⑤ cos 2𝑥 = cos2 𝑥 − sin2 𝑥 ⇒ ൞ 1
sin2 𝑥 = 1 − cos 2𝑥
2