Algebra of Functions

©1999 by Design Science, Inc.

 HISTORY
 The ideas surrounding algebraic functions go back at least
as far as René Descartes. The first discussion of algebraic
functions appears to have been in Edward Waring's 1794
An Essay on the Principles of Human Knowledge in which
he writes:
 let a quantity denoting the ordinate, be an algebraic
function of the abscissa x, by the common methods of
division and extraction of roots, reduce it into an infinite
series ascending or descending according to the
dimensions of x, and then find the integral of each of the
resulting terms.

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 Objectives
 To define the sum, difference, product, and quotient
of functions.

 To form and evaluate composite functions.

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 Basic function operations
 Sum  f + g  x  f  x + g  x

 Difference  f – g  x  f  x – g  x

 Product  f g   x   f  x  g  x 

f  f  x
 Quotient  f g  x    x  , g  x  0
g g  x

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 Function, domain, & range
 The domain of a function is the set of all “first
coordinates” of the ordered pairs of a relation.
 The range of a function is the set of all “second
coordinates” of the ordered pairs of a relation.
 A relation is a function if all values of the domain are
unique (they do not repeat).
 A test to see if a relation is a function is the vertical
line test.
 If it is possible to draw a vertical line and cross the graph
of a relation in more than one point, the relation is not
a function.
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 Example 1
 Find each function and state its domain:
f  x  x 1; g  x  x 1
 f+g  f  g  x  x  1  x  1; Df  g   x : x  1

 f–g  f  g  x  x  1  x  1; Df  g   x : x  1

 f ·g  f  g  x   x 1  
x  1  x 2  1; Df g   x : x  1

x 1
 f /g  f g  x  ; Df g   x : x  1
x 1

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 Example 2
 The efficiency of an engine with a given heat output,
in calories, can be calculated by finding the ratio of
two functions of heat input, D and N, where
D(i) = i – 5700 and N(i) = i .
 Write a function for the efficiency of the engine in terms of
heat input (i), in calories.
i  5700
E i 
i

Find the efficiency when the heat input is 17,200 calories.

17,200  5700
E  17,200    0.67
17,200

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 Composition of Functions

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  Composition of functions is the successive
application of the functions in a specific order.

 Given two functions f and g, the composite function

f  g is defined by  f  g   x   f  g  x   and is read
“f of g of x.”

 The domain of f  g is the set of elements x in the

domain of g such that g(x) is in the domain of f.

 Another way to say that is to say that “the range of function

g must be in the domain of function f.”

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 A composite function
f g

x
g
g(x)
domain of g
f range of f
range of g f(g(x))

domain of f

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 A different way to look at it…
x f  g  x 

f
g Machine
x
gFunction
Function
Machine

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 How to Find Compositions of Functions

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 fog(x)=f(g(x))
and replacing things with what they are equal to.
fog(x)=f(g(x))=f(x2)

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 This is called the composition of the functions f and g and the idea behind it is
to do the two operations of the function one after another. If you think of
functions as little machines it is like linking up the two machines together to
form a new machine. This goes in reverse order of the way it is written,
because this makes the order come out right with the nested parentheses.
What is happening here is that the x goes into the g machine first and out
comes g(x). Then the g(x) goes into the f machine and out comes f(g(x)). So
for example, if f(x)=x+1 and g(x)=x2 , then since g is the function that squares
a number, and f is the function that adds 1 to a number, the composition
function fog would be the function that first squares the number and then adds
1 to the result of that, or fog(x)=x2+1. For more complicated functions it
might be difficult to keep track of it that way, but that is not a problem,
because if you just follow the definition, the notation is designed to make it
come out right without thinking about it too much. So, for example, in this
problem you could also figure it out simply by writing down
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 Example 3
 Evaluate  f  g   x  and  g  f   x  :

 
 f x  x 3 
gf  fg xx  2 2 
 xx 231  31
2

 
 g x  2x  1
2

 22 xx2246 x  9  1 
 2 x 2  12 x  18  1
 f  g   x   2x 2  4
 g  f   x   2x 2  12x  17
You can see that function composition is not commutative!

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 Example 4
 Find the domain of  f  g   x  and  g  f   x  :

 
 f x  x 1

 
g x  x

 f g  x  x 1 Df g   x : x  0
(Since a radicand can’t be negative in the set of real numbers,
xgmust
 f   be
x  greater
 x than
1 or f   xto: x
Dgequal  1
zero.)
(Since a radicand can’t be negative in the set of real numbers,
x – 1 must be greater than or equal to zero.)

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 Example 5
 The number of bicycle helmets produced in a factory
each day is a function of the number of hours (t) the
assembly line is in operation that day and is given by
n = P(t) = 75t – 2t2.
 The cost C of producing the helmets is a function of
the number of helmets produced and is given by
C(n) = 7n +1000.

Determine a function that gives the cost of producing the

helmets in terms of the number of hours the assembly line
is functioning on a given day.
Find the cost of the bicycle helmets produced on a day
when the assembly line was functioning 12 hours.
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 n  P  t   75t  2t 2 C  n   7n  1000

Solution to Example 5:
 Determine a function that gives the cost of producing
the helmets in terms of the number of hours the
assembly line is functioning on a given day.
 Cost  C  n   C  P  t  


 C 75t  2t 2 
75t  2t   1000
 7  75 2

 14t 2  525t  1000

 Find the cost of the bicycle helmets produced on a day
when the assembly line was functioning 12 hours.
C  14t 2  525t  1000  $5284
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 Summary…
 Function arithmetic – add the functions (subtract, etc)
 Addition
 Subtraction
 Multiplication
 Division

 Function composition
 Perform function in innermost parentheses first
 Domain of “main” function must include range of “inner”
function

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©1999 by Design Science, Inc.