CHAPTER 12

Composition, Recursion, and Exponential Functions

12-1 Composition of Functions

Given the two functions f and g , the composite function, denoted by f g , is defined
as ( f g )( x ) f g ( x ) f ( g ( x )) , read “ f of g of x .”

In order for a value of x to be in the domain of f g , two conditions must be satisfied:

1) x must be in the domain of g .
2) g ( x) must be in the domain of f .

Example 1 If f ( x) x 2 1 and g ( x) x 2 , find the following.

a. ( f g )( x ) b. ( g f )( x) c. ( f g )(3)

Solution a. ( f g )( x ) f ( g ( x))
f ( x 2) Substitute x 2 for g ( x ) .
2
( x 2) 1 Evaluate f when x is x 2 .
x2 4x 5 Simplify.

b. ( g f )( x) g ( f ( x))
g ( x 2 1) Substitute x 2 1 for g ( x ) .
( x 2 1) 2 Evaluate g when x is x 2 1 .
x2 1 Simplify.

c. ( f g )(3) f ( g (3))
f (3 2) g (3) 3 2 .
f (1) Simplify.
2
1 1 f (1) 12 1
2 Simplify.

Example 2 If f {( 1, 3), (2,5), (4,1)} and g {( 2, 2), (1,3), (6, 1)} , find the following.

a. ( f g )( 2) b. ( g f )(4) c. ( f g )(6)

Solution a. ( f g )( 2) f ( g ( 2))
f (2) g ( 2) 2
5 Simplify.

b. ( g f )(4) g ( f (4))
g (1) f (4) 1
3 Simplify.

c. ( f g )(6) f ( g (6))
f ( 1) g (6) 1
3 Simplify.
198 Chapter 12

Exercises - Operations on Functions and Composition of Functions

1 4

If f ( x) x 2 3 x 1 and g ( x) 1 x , If f ( x)
1 5x
and g ( x) 2 x , what is the
what is the value of f g ( 2) ? 2
value of f ( g (3)) ?
A) 3
B) 1 A) 7
C) 1 B) 2
D) 3 C) 2
D) 3

2 Questions 5 and 6 refer to the following

3 information.
If f {( 4,12), ( 2, 4), (2, 0), (3, )} and
2
g {( 2, 5), (0,1), (4, 7), (5, 9)} , what is x f ( x) g ( x)
the value of g f (2) ?
2 5 0
A) 9 0 6 4
B) 7 3 0 5
C) 1
D) 5 The table above gives values of f and g at
selected values of x .

5
What is the value of f ( g ( 2)) ?

3
A function f satisfies f ( 1) 8 and f (1) 2.
A function g satisfies g (2) 5 and g ( 1) 1 .
What is the value of f ( g ( 1)) ?

6
A) 2
What is the value of g ( f (3)) ?
B) 1
C) 5
D) 8
Composition, Recursion, and Exponential Functions 199

12-2 Recursive Formula

A recursive formula for a sequence describes how to find the n th term from the term(s) before it.
A recursive formula consists of two parts:
1. An initial condition that shows where the sequence starts.
2. A recursion equation that shows how to find each term from the term(s) before it.

The process of composing a function from itself repeatedly is a special type of recursion.
For example, the composition of function f f ( x ) is a recursion.
The compound interest formula also involves recursion.

2
Example 1 A sequence is recursively defined by an an 1 . If a0 3 , what is the
n
value of a3 ?

2
Solution a1 a0 3 2 5 Substitute 1 for n and 3 for a0 .
1
2
a2 a1 5 1 6 Substitute 2 for n and 5 for a1 .
2
2 2 20
a3 a2 6 Substitute 3 for n and 6 for a2 .
3 3 3

Example 2 Let f ( x) x2 5 , find f f f (1) .

Solution f (1) (1) 2 5 6

f f (1) f ( 6) ( 6)2 5 11
f f f (1) f ( 11) ( 11)2 5 16 4

Example 3 For next year’s vacation, Cabrera deposited $2,000 into a savings account
that pays 0.5% compounded monthly. In addition to this initial deposit,
on the first day of each month, he deposits $200 into the account. The amount
of money n months after he opened the account can be calculated by the
equation, An (1 0.005) An 1 200 .
According to the formula, what will be the amount in Cabrera’s savings
account three months after he started it?

Solution One month after, the amount will be:

A1 (1 0.005) A0 200 (1.005) 2000 200 2210
Two months after, the amount will be:
A2 (1 0.005) A1 200 (1.005) 2210 200 2421.05
Three months after, the amount will be:
A3 (1 0.005) A2 200 (1.005) 2421.05 200 2633.16
200 Chapter 12

Exercises - Recursive Formula

1 4
A sequence is recursively defined by If A0 is the initial amount deposited into a savings
2 account that earns at a fixed rate of r percent per
an (an 1 ) 2 . If a0 2 , what
year, and a constant amount of 12b is added to
is the value of a2 ?
the account each year, then amount An of the
savings n years after the initial deposit is made
A) 5 r
is given by the equation An (1 ) An 1 12b .
B) 6 100
What is A3 , the amount you have in the savings
C) 8 three years after you made the initial deposit, if
D) 3 r 5 , A0 12, 000 , and b 400 ?

A) $23, 070.00
B) $26,048.00
2 C) $29,023.50
A sequence is recursively defined by D) $35, 274.68
f (an )
an 1 an . If a0 1 , f ( x ) x 2 3x ,
g (an )
and g ( x) 2 x 3 , what is the value of a2 ?

A) 3 5

1 The number of gallons, Pn , of a pollutant in

B) a lake at the end of each month is given by the
5
recursively defined formula Pn 0.85 Pn 1 20 .
C) 2
If the initial amount P0 of a pollutant in the lake
3 is 400 gallons, what is P3 , the amount of pollutant
D)
2 in the lake at the end of the third month, to the
nearest gallon?

A) 297

3 B) 285
C) 273
If f ( x) 2 x 2 1 , what is the value
D) 262
of f f f (2) ?

A) 10

B) 15

C) 21
D) 5
Composition, Recursion, and Exponential Functions 201

12-3. Exponential Functions and Graphs

An exponential function is a function of the form f ( x) ab x , in which a 0, b 0 , and b 1 .

y y

Any function of the form f ( x) ab x ,

(0,3) y 2x in which a 0, b 0, and b 1, the
(0,3)
1 domain is the set of all real numbers
y 3 2x y ( )x 1
2 y 3 ( )x and the range is the set of positive real
(0,1) (0,1) 2 numbers.
x x
O O

If b 1, the graph rises as x increases. If 0 b 1, the graph falls as x increases.

The graph shows exponential growth. The graph shows exponential decay.

Example 1 In the diagram below, each exponential curve represents the population
of bacteria in a petri dish as a function of time, in hours. At time t 0 ,
the population of Dish 1 is 2,000 and the population of Dish 2 is 3,000.
y
(4, 10,120)
10,000
Dish 1
Dish 2
8,000
(4, 6, 220)
6,000

4,000

2,000

x
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Time (hours)

a. At time t 0 , the number of bacteria in Dish 2 is what percent more than

the number of bacteria in Dish 1?
b. Find the average growth rate of bacteria in Dish 1 and in Dish 2 from time
t 0 to time t 4 .

number of bacteria in Dish 2 number of bacteria in Dish 1 at time t 0

Solution a.
number of bacteria in Dish 2 at time t 0
3, 000 2, 000 1 1
33 %
3, 000 3 3
1
At time t 0 , the number of bacteria in Dish 2 is 33 % more than the
3
number of bacteria in Dish 1.
10,120 2, 000
b. Average groth rate of Dish 1 2, 030 bacteria per hour
4 0
6, 220 3, 000
Average groth rate of Dish 2 805 bacteria per hour
4 0
202 Chapter 12

Exercises - Exponential Functions and Graphs

1 2
During a decade of continuous drought, the water y
level of a lake has decreased by 10 percent each
30,000
year. Which of the following graphs could model
the water level of the lake as a function of time? 25,000
Model A
20,000
A) y 15,000 (6, 12,000)
Model B
10,000
5,000
x
x 2 4 6 8 10
O 5 10 Time (years)
Time (years)
In the graph above, each exponential curve
B) y represents the values, in dollars, of two different
cars as a function of time in years. At time t 0 ,
the price of model A was $30,000 and the price
of model B was $24,000. At time t 6 , the price
of both models were $12,000.
x Based on the graphs above, which of the following
O 5 10 must be true?
Time (years)
I. At time t 0 , the price of model A was
C) y 25% more than the price of model B .
II. At time t 0 , the price of model B was
20% less than the price of model A .
III. From time t 0 to t 6 , the average rate
x of decrease in the value of model A was
O 5 10 1.5 times the average rate of decrease in the
Time (years) value of model B .

D) y
A) I and II only
B) I and III only
C) II and III only
x D) I, II, and III
O 5 10
Time (years)
3

If f ( x) 12,000(0.9) x and g ( x) 14,000(0.85) x ,

what is the value of g (2) f (2) ?
Composition, Recursion, and Exponential Functions 203

12-4. Exponential Growth and Decay

Compound Interest Formulas
If initial amount P is invested at annual interest rate r , the investment will grow to final amount A
in t years. A P (1 r )t
We can use the same formula for the population or value of goods that is increasing or decreasing.
Exponential Growth and Doubling-Time Growth Formula
If a population is increasing at a constant rate r each year, the population at the end of t years
would be A P(1 r )t .
If an initial population of size P doubles every d years (or any other unit of time), the final
number A in t years is given by A P (2)t / d .

Exponential Decay and Half-Life Decay Formula

If a population is decreasing at a constant rate r each year, the population at the end of t years
would be A P(1 r )t .
The half-life of a substance is the amount of time it takes for half of the substance to decay.
If an initial population of size P has a half-life of d years (or any other unit of time), the final
1
number A in t years is given by A P ( )t / d .
2

Example 1 a. Mark invests $1,500 at a rate of 6% interest compounded annually.

How much is the investment worth after 5 years?
b. The price of a new automobile is $28,000. If the value of the automobile
decreases 12% per year, what will be the price of the automobile after 5 years?
c. The population of a western town doubles in size every 12 years. If the
population of town is 8,000, what will the population be 18 years from now?
d. The half-life of carbon-14 is approximately 6000 years. How much of
800 g of this substance will remain after 30,000 years?

Solution a. A P(1 r )t Compound Interest Formula

5
1,500(1 0.06) Substitute P 1500 , r 0.06 , and t 5.
2, 007.34 Use a calculator.

b. A P(1 r )t Exponential Decay Formula

5
28, 000(1 0.12) Substitute P 28,000 , r 0.12 , and t 5.
14, 776.49 Use a calculator.

c. A P (2)t / d Doubling-Time Growth Formula

18/12
8, 000 2 Substitute P 8, 000 , t 18 , and d 12 .
22, 627 Use a calculator.

1
d. A P ( )t / d Half-Life Decay Formula
2
1
A 800( )30,000 / 6,000 P 800 , t 30,000 , and d 6,000 .
2
25 Use a calculator.
204 Chapter 12

Exercises - Exponential Growth and Decay

1 4
The number of rabbits in a certain population A certain radioactive substance has a half-life
doubles every 40 days. If the population starts of 12 days. This means that every 12 days, half
with 12 rabbits, which of the following gives of the original amount of the substance decays.
the total number of rabbits in the population If there are 128 milligrams of the radioactive
after t days? substance today, how many milligrams will be
left after 48 days?
t
A) 12(2)( )
40 A) 4
40 B) 8
B) 12(2)( )
t C) 16
40
D) 32
C) 12(2) t
t
D) 12(2) 40

Questions 5 and 6 refer to the following

information.
2
Population P of a town is 80,000 this year. Evelyn deposited $3,000 into her bank account, which
If the population of the town decreases at a rate earns 4 percent interest compounded annually. She
of 4 percent each year, which of the following uses the expression $3, 000( x)t to find the value of the
expressions gives population P after t years? account after t years.

A) 80, 000(0.6)t 5

B) 80, 000(0.96)t What is the value of x in the expression?

C) 80, 000(0.96t )

D) 80, 000(1 0.04t )

3 6
A house bought ten years ago for $150,000 was Evelyn deposited the same amount into an account
sold for $240,000 this year. Which of the following that earns 5 percent interest rate compounded
equations can be used to solve the annual growth annually. How much more money than her original
rate r of the value of the house? deposit in the account with 4 percent interest rate
compounded annually will she have earned in 10
years?
r (Round your answer to the nearest dollar.)
A) 240, 000 150, 000(1 )
10
B) 240, 000 150, 000(1 10r )

C) 240, 000 150, 000(1 r )10

D) 240, 000 150, 000(r )10