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Student Notes Introduction to Graphs of Rational Functions

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Student Notes Introduction to Graphs of Rational Functions

Uploaded by

emelypena178
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Graphs of Rational Functions

Student Notes Sheet


Print this document to guide you taking notes over this section. Once completed, add this to your math
notebook.

Engage:
In this lesson, you will learn about the shape and the graphs of different rational functions. Hopefully, you
remember that a rational function is formed by _______________ (or making a fraction with) one polynomial by
another. The parent function of a rational function is f(x) = _______, and the graph is a hyperbola.

Key Characteristics of Graphs of Rational Functions:


You may be interested in the shape of the rational function, as it is very different than the other functions you
have studied. The linear, quadratic, exponential, and polynomial functions are considered ____________________
functions. Continuous functions are functions whose graphs have no __________ or _______________. The rational
function graphed above (and many other rational functions) is a _________________________ function. A
discontinuous function is a function whose graph has one or more gaps or breaks.

Let’s take a look at the parent graph of the rational function f(x) = _______ and some of its key characteristics.

Notice, this graph has a ____________________ asymptote at y = _____ and a ____________________ asymptote at
x = _____. In general, we can think of any asymptote as a line that a function will come very, very close to but
not actually touch. The horizontal asymptote would affect the _______________ of the function, and the vertical
asymptote would affect the _______________ of the function. The domain and range would be the set of all real
numbers except the values of the respective asymptotes. This can be written as the following for the graph
shown above:
● Domain:
● Range:

Graphs of rational functions can include vertical asymptotes, horizontal asymptotes, slant asymptotes, and/or
_______________ in the graph. In this lesson and future lessons, we will explore how to identify each of these traits.
It is important to note that not all rational functions have graphs that are hyperbolas. It is also important to note
that not all rational function graphs contain all types of asymptotes and holes.

Activity Workspace:
Vertical Asymptotes & Holes:
Real numbers for which a rational function is not defined are called _______________ values. At an excluded
value, a rational function may have a vertical asymptote or a hole.

Let’s take a look at the graph of f(x) = _______________. By factoring the numerator and denominator, we can

re-write the function as f(x) = _______________. Since both _______ and _______ are factors of the denominator

__________, then the graph would have vertical asymptotes at both x = _____ and x = _____, as shown in the

graph of f(x) below.

To identify whether a function has a hole in the graph, first factor both the numerator and the denominator. If
there is a _______________ factor in the numerator and denominator, then there is a hole in the graph of the
function.

Let’s take a look at the following function: f(x) = ______________. Can you identify if there are any holes in the
graph?

Start by factoring the numerator. The factored form of the equation would be f(x) = _______________. There is a
common factor of __________ in the numerator AND the denominator. Therefore, the rational function should
have a hole at x = _____.

If you examine the graph of this function below, you will notice this graph looks exactly the same as y =
__________ (a straight line) except for the hole at x = _____.

You can determine the y-value for the location of a hole by evaluating the function using the simplified
equation, after factoring.

For example,

Therefore, the hole for this function is located at (_____, _____).


A hole can be indicated with an __________ circle in the graph. This would be the value that would cause the
function to be undefined. Holes are also included in the domain restrictions for a function, just like vertical

asymptotes. For example, the domain for would be ____________________.

Important Note: A vertical asymptote is always written as an x = _______ equation while a hole is always written
as an __________ coordinate pair.

Example: Identify any vertical asymptote(s) and/or holes in the graphs of the following functions. Check
by graphing.
Domain of a Rational Function:
To identify the domain of rational functions, we need to consider any _______________ asymptotes and/or
_______________. The domain would be the set of all real numbers excluding the vertical asymptotes and/or
holes.

Example: Determine the domain of each of the given rational functions.

Put it All Together:


Give the problems below a try to see if you are able to find vertical asymptotes, holes, and domain for rational
functions all at one time!

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