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2.6 - Domain & Composite Functions

Chapter 2.6 covers the domain of rational and radical functions, emphasizing the importance of excluding values that cause division by zero or result in the square root of a negative number. It also introduces composite functions, explaining how to evaluate one function in terms of another and clarifying that composition is not the same as multiplication. Examples are provided to illustrate finding domains and composing functions.

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11 views6 pages

2.6 - Domain & Composite Functions

Chapter 2.6 covers the domain of rational and radical functions, emphasizing the importance of excluding values that cause division by zero or result in the square root of a negative number. It also introduces composite functions, explaining how to evaluate one function in terms of another and clarifying that composition is not the same as multiplication. Examples are provided to illustrate finding domains and composing functions.

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mr.jayden.ayala
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 2.

6 – Domain & Composite Functions

Objectives:
 Find the domain of rational and radical functions.
 Find the composition of two functions.

I. The Domain of a Function


Most of the functions we have studied so far have a domain of all real numbers. For example, in the
functions below, we are allowed to plug in any x -value that we want.
f ( x )=x f ( x )=x 2 f ( x )=x 3
This can be confirmed by the graph of each function:

However, this is not the case for all functions. There are some functions that – given a particular input (
x -value) – will not produce an output. If so, that particular input cannot be part of the domain. Consider
the functions below:
1
f ( x )=¿ g ( x )=√ x+1
x−3

When finding the domain of a function, always exclude numbers that…


 Cause division by 0.
 Result in the square root of a negative number.

NOTE: The above two statements aren’t the only things that can cause the domain of a function to have
restrictions. For example, Chapter 4, we will study logarithmic functions, which have restrictions on
their domain as well. For now, though, division by 0 and square rooting a negative are the only things
that will affect the domain.
Example 1 Find the domain of each function. Give your answer in interval notation.
5
b) f ( x )=¿
2
a) f ( x )=x −7
2 x +10

x 1 1
c) f ( x )=¿ d) f ( x )=¿ + 2
2
x −2 x−3 x+ 8 x −4

3 x+2
e) f ( x )= √ 3 x +12 f) f ( x )=¿
√14−2 x

4
g) f ( x )=
√ 14−2 x h) f ( x )=¿ 3
3 x +2 −1
x
II. Composite Functions
Another way of combining two functions is called a composition of functions – that is, we can evaluate
one function in terms of the other.
Recall from Chapter 2.1 where you evaluated functions for numbers…
2
f ( x )=x −3 x +1
2
f ( 2 )=( 2 ) −3 ( 2 ) +1=1
f ( 2 )=1

When we find a composition of two functions, we are essentially plugging a function into another
function.

Given two functions f (x) and g(x ), the composition of functions f and g is denoted as

f ( g ( x )) or ( f ∘ g) ( x )

CAUTION: ( f ∘ g ) ( x ) does NOT mean f (x)∙ g (x) !

Example 2 For f ( x )=3 x +1 and g ( x )=5−x , find each of the following:


a) ( f ∘ g ) ( x ) ( f ∘ g ) (1 )

b) ( g ∘ f ) ( x ) ( g ∘ f ) ( 0)
x+12
Example 3 For each f ( x )=6 x and g ( x )=¿ , find each of the following:
6
a) ( f ∘ g ) ( x ) ( f ∘ g ) (−2 )

b) ( g ∘ f ) ( x ) ( g ∘ f ) (3 )

Example 4 For f ( x )= √ x and g ( x )=( x +5 )2, find each of the following:

a) ( f ∘ g ) ( x ) ( f ∘ g) ( 4 )

b) ( g ∘ f ) ( x ) ( g ∘ f ) ( 2)
Example 5 For f ( x )=x 2 + x and g ( x )=x 2−3, find each of the following:

a) ( f ∘ g ) ( x ) ( f ∘ g) ( 4 )

b) ( g ∘ f ) ( x ) ( g ∘ f ) (−1 )

NOTE: When evaluating a composite function, there are actually two ways you can do it.

Recall from Example 3: f ( x )=3 x +1 and g ( x )=5−x

If you wanted to find f ( g ( 1 ) ) , instead of first finding f ( g ( x ) ) and then plugging in a 1, you could instead
simply find g(1) and then plug that result into f (x).
For example, g ( 1 )=5−1=4
Then, f ( 4 )=3 ( 4 )+ 1=13
Notice that the result in 13, which is the same answer we got for the second part of Example 3.

So if you are only being asked to evaluate a composite function – such as f ( g ( 1 ) ) – it may be
advantageous to evaluate each function separately rather than evaluating the composite function. This
way, if you formed the wrong composite function, you won’t automatically get the evaluating portion
wrong as well.

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