LESSON 1: UNIT I

FUNCTIONS CHAPTER 1:

Mathematics
Disclaimer: On this page I have collected a few jokes with mathematical content. Some
of them are robable not amusing or not even understandable if you don't have some
kind of mathematical ackground. With this in mind --- here goes:

-- What is the difference between an introvert mathematician and and extrovert mathematician?
-- An introvert mathematician looks at his shoes while talking to you. An extrovert mathematician looks
at you r shoes.

A physicist, an engineer and a mathematician were asked how much three times three is.
e engineer grabbed his pocket calculator, eagerly pressed a couple of buttons and announced:
"9.0000".
e physicist made an approximation (with an error estimate) and said: "9,00 +/- 0,02".
e mathematician took a piece of paper and a pencil and sat quietly for half an hour. He the returned
: and proudly declared: There is a solution and I have proved that it is unique!

-- Have you heard that the pope has settled the continuum hypothesis?
-- ???
-- He has declared that cardinals above 80 have no powers.

Two men were out flying in a hot air balloon. After a while they ran in to some bad weather and flew
way out of course. When the storm settled they had absolutely no idea where they were. They landed on
a field and luckily enough, after a few minutes a woman passed by.
-- Excuse us, but where are we? the men asked.
The woman looked at them carefully, scratched her head and though for a long time after which she
eventually answered: "Gentlemen, you are in a hot air balloon". Then she walked away so quickly that
the men couldn't stop her.
-- Now, that was a strange woman.
-- Yes, she must have been a mathematician.
-- Why's that?
-- Firstly, she thought for a long time before answering, secondly her answer was absolutely correct, and
thirdly it was utterly useless.
A biologist, a physicist and a mathematician were sitting in a street café watching the crowd. Across the street they
saw a man and a woman entering a building. Ten minutes they reappeared together with a third person.
They have multiplied, said the biologist.
Oh no, an error in measurement, the physicist sighed.
If exactly one person enters the building now, it will be empty again, the mathematician concluded.

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An exponential function and a constant function were out walking, when the
constant function suddenly spots a differential operator.
-- Look out, we have to hide, says the constant function.
-- Why? says the exponential function.
-- It that differential operator gets hold of me, he will differentiate me, and I
will vanish.
-- Coward. I am the exponential function. No differential operator can harm
me, says the exponential function, and walks toward the differential operator.
-- Hello, I am e^x, says the exponential function to the differential operator.
-- Nice to meet you, smiles the differential operator. I am d/dy.

Now let’s start with the syllabus. per hour. But at present, it is producing only 100 bolts
Today we will be discussing functions and their for want of raw
applications. The aim of this chapter is to explain in
lucid manner some fundamental concepts about
functions, their classification and applications in context
of business and economic problems.
Production manager in a company reasons that if he
increases his manpower, there is also an increase in the
number of units produced. To achieve certain amount of
production level, he wants to determine the requirement
of man-power.
Another company is manufacturing electronic gadget.
The production involves Rs. 50,000 as fixed cost and Rs.
30 as variable cost per unit. To fix the selling price, the
sales manager wants to know the exact cost of a single
gadget at a predetermined production level.
The above situations need a method or technique that
will determine the value or solution. Here we can
observe the existence of relationship or association
between the factors involved. Any change in the factors
involved. Any change in one factor will affect the other
factor. To analyse the above-cited situations, we require
the concept of a function. A function is a special kind of
relation that is very important in mathematics.
Definition of a Function
Intuitively, we call a quantity y a function of another
quantity x if there is a rule (method, procedure) by which
a unique value of y is associated with a corresponding
value of x
For example, to find the area of a square, the length of
the side is squared. The length of the side of the square
can be any value but its area is dependent on the value
of the length of the side of the square. So there is a
correspondence of relation between the length of sides
of squares and the area of the square.
A function is defined to be a rule that associates to any
given number x a single number ƒ(x), to be read as
function of x. ƒ(x) does not mean f times x. It means,
given x, the rule f results the number ƒ(x).
A elements or members of the first group or set the
domain of the function and the second group or set
form the range of the function
Constant and Variable
Consider a company which produces bolts. Suppose it
has a machine having a production capacity of 1000 bolts
materials. Therefore, if there is an increase in availability
of raw material, there will be an increase in output. But
the expenditures for putting up the machine is same to
produce either 100 bolts or 200 bolts although there is a
relationship between the amount of raw material and
the number of bolts manufactured. If we see everything
from the angle of profit, then there will be a relationship
between cost of raw material, labour and sales of the
bolts produced. But in this, we can cost of Raw
Material, labour and sales of bolts are changing while the
cost of the equipment is not changing. Thus in any
relationship, the quantities which remain the same
throughout the particular investigation are called
variables. It is conventional to denote/ represent the
constants by the letters a,b, c… and the variables by the
letters x,y,z….
The following are example of functions:
y = ax +bx +c
2
x variable wile the variable y is dependent upon the value of the
+ independent variables and hence, dependent variable.
4
y The following are natural example of functions
x-7
2
vx
y =\x — a\ + yx —a
Mathematical Function
As we have already seen there is a relationship between profit and
sales. Any change in sales will effect a change in the profit. To
effect any change in sales we should have a corresponding change
in purchase. Therefore, we can express profit as a function of
purchase and sales. Here purchase and sales are independent
variables while profit is a dependent variables as it depends on
sales. In general, y is said to be function of x if for every value of x
there exists a unique y. The mathematical equating expressing the
dependence is called the mathematical function. Symbolically, it
may be written in the form y = ƒ(x).
The function f that associates the square of a number to the given
number x is given by ƒ(x) =x2
In any mathemcial function, y = ƒ(x) we can assign value for x
arbitrarily from the domain; consequently x is the Independent
1. The total money in a fixed cumulative deposit on simple interest
is a function of deposit and interest.
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2.The monthly interest payable on a deposit is a function of
deposit and interest
3.The value of an asset after depreciation is a function of the
value of the asset before depreciation and the rate of
depreciation.
4.Sales tax payable is a function of sales.
Example: If y = 9 for every value of x. can y be regarded as a
function of x?
Solution: Since y has a definite value corresponding to every
value of x, y is a function of x.
Example: A factory fire bricks. For every cubic meter of clay, it
produces 1000 fire bricks of which 5% may be rejected because
of low quality. Assume x, the amount of clay in cubic metres
and y, the number of marketable tricks produced. Formulate a
function of y dependent on x. Find its domain and range.
Solution: For one cubic metre of clay 1000 fire bricks are
produced of which (5/100) x 1000 are defective. So for x cubic
metre of clay, 1000x fire bricks will be produced of which 50x
will be defective. Thus if y equals the number of marketable
fire bricks, then
For p>5, Q become negative. In a real situation, quantity
demanded cannot be negative. The results are presented below
in the form of a schedule:
Price (p) Quantity demanded (Q)
0 12
1 9
2 6
3 30
4
The required domain is therefore (0,4); and the range is (0,12).
We may note here that all values of p fall within the domain of Q=ƒ(p), and
all values of Q fall within the range of Q=ƒ (p).
Example: For the function ƒ(x)= 3x3-9.determine the value of the determine
the value of the dependent variable f(x) when the independent variable x
equals 2.
Solution:
The value for ƒ(x) when x=2 is given by ƒ(2).
Now ƒ(2)=[ ƒ(x)] 2 = 3 x 23 - 9 = 15

Y = 1000 x - 50 x = 950x. Therefore, required value of the dependent variable ƒ(x) is 15.

Since the number of bricks produced cannot be negative, or
fraction, we can compute that x can take values of
1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 and
positive integral multiples thereof.
950 475 190 50 38 25 19 10
Thus,
Domain={ Positive integral multiples of
Example: A farm sells eggs for Rs.6 a dozen for orders under 12 dozens
and for Rs.5.50 a dozen for orders of atleast 12 dozens. In addition, he
allows a rebate of Rs.15 to customer purchasing atleast 600 eggs. Express
the firm’s receipt R(x) as a function of dozens of dozens of eggs x sold.
Also, find the domain of R(x).
5 2
Solution: If the firm sells x dozens at a price of p per dozen, px rupee will
be received unless at least 50 dozens are purchased. Therefore, R(x) is given
by R(x) = 6x for 0 < x < 12

1 1 11111111 = 5.5x for 12 <□ x < 50

}
950 475 190 50 38 25 19 10 5 2 = 5.5x - 15 for 50 < x

Range={Positive integral number} Since negative number of egg purchase is nor possible the domain of
R(x) is (0,coD).
Example: Given f(x)=x2-2x+1, determine f(-3) and f(3). Solution:
Graph of a Function
ƒ(-3) means value of ƒ(x) when x is exactly equal to–3. Therefore, ƒ(-3)
Any function y = ƒ(x) may be represented graphically with reference to any
may be obtained from ƒ(x) replacing x by–3. chosen axes of co-ordinates, origin, and units of measurement of the domain
•'• f(-3)= [ x -2x + 1] atx=-3 = (-3)2- 2(-3) + 1 = 9 + 6 + 1= 16
x and the range y. corresponding to every value of x, we get a value of y
Similarlyf(3) = [x2 -2x + 1]atx=-3 = (- 3)2 -2(3) + 1 = 9-6 + 1 = 4 i.e., of the function the assemblage of the points (x,y) represents the graph
of the function.
Example: The relationship between the price, p, and the quantity
Example: Sketch the graph of the function y = 3x + 3.
demanded, Q, for a particular commodity is given by Q = ƒ(P). Assuming
ƒ(P) = 12 - 3p, find the quantity demanded at various prices, and determine Y▲
he domain, and the range of Q
= ƒ(P).
Solution: Ignoring the specific units for Q and p, we may write
Q = ƒ(0) = [12 - 3p] = 12 - 3 x 0 = 12
at p = 0

Q = ƒ(1) = 12 - 3 x 1 = 9 Q =
ƒ(2) = 12 – 3 x 2 = 6 Q = ƒ(3)
= 12 - 3 x 3 = 3 Q = ƒ(4) = 12
–3x4=0
(0,3)

Y= 3x+3
X
X 0 -
Y 3 10
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 Example: Plot the graph of y = 2

Y= 2

^ X

From the table it is clear that every

element of first set is assigned to exactly one element in the second set. Hence, y = 2 is a function
of x. This is an example of a constant function
Example. Plot the graph of absolute-value function ƒ(x)=|x|
Solution: By definition of the absolute value.
/(x) = { -x if x < 0 ' -4
x if x > 0
Therefore

x -2 -1 0 1 2
F(x) 2 1 0 1 2

The graph is shown on the right.

Notes

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