
# 2: Functions


• 2.1: Introduction to Functions
Our development of the function concept is a modern one, but quite quick, particularly in light of the fact that today’s definition took over 300 years to reach its present state. We begin with the definition of a relation.
• 2.2: The Graph of a Function
Descartes introduces his coordinate system, a method for representing points in the plane via pairs of real numbers. Indeed, the Cartesian plane of modern day is so named in honor of Rene Descartes, who some call the “Father of Modern Mathematics.” A Cartesian Coordinate System consists of a pair of axes, usually drawn at right angles to one another in the plane, one horizontal (labeled x) and one vertical (labeled y).
• 2.3: Interpreting the Graph of a Function
In the previous section, we began with a function and then drew the graph of the given function. In this section, we will start with the graph of a function, then make a number of interpretations based on the given graph: function evaluations, the domain and range of the function, and solving equations and inequalities.
• 2.4: Solving Equations and Inequalities by Graphing
Our emphasis in the chapter has been on functions and the interpretation of their graphs. In this section, we continue in that vein and turn our exploration to the solution of equations and inequalities by graphing. The equations will have the form f(x)=g(x) , and the inequalities will have form f(x)<g(x) and/or f(x)>g(x) .
• 2.5: Vertical Transformations
In this section we study the art of transformations: scalings, reflections, and translations. We will restrict our attention to transformations in the vertical or y-direction. Our goal is to apply certain transformations to the equation of a function, then ask what effect it has on the graph of the function.
• 2.6: Horizontal Transformations
In the previous section, we introduced the concept of transformations. We made a change to the basic equation y = f(x), such as y = af(x), y = −f(x), y = f(x) − c, or y = f(x) + c, then studied how these changes affected the shape of the graph of y = f(x). In that section, we concentrated strictly on transformations that applied in th vertical direction. In this section, we will study transformations that will affect the shape of the graph in the horizontal direction.
• 2.7: Chapter 2 Exercises with Solutions