RATIONAL FUNCTIONS

d = st
*distance is equal to speed
times time
FIND:
s=
t=
To find s;
𝒅
𝒅 = 𝒔𝒕 = 𝒔 or
𝒕
𝒅 𝒔𝒕 𝒅
= 𝐬=
𝒕 𝒕 𝒕
𝒅 𝒔𝒕
= we eliminate t
𝒕 𝒕
To find t;
𝒅
𝒅 = 𝒔𝒕 = 𝒕 or
𝒔
𝒅 𝒔𝒕 𝒅
= 𝐭=
𝒔 𝒔 𝒔

𝒅 𝒔𝒕
= we eliminate s
𝒔 𝒔
Polynomial Function p of degree n

p(x)=anxn+an-1xn-1+an-2xn-2+…,+a1x+a0
Where:
a0,a1,…an Є R, an≠0
n is a positive integer
COEFFICIENTS
The constants a0,a1,a2,…,an
LEADING COEFFICIENT an
LEADING TERM anx n

CONSTANT TERM a0
Identify the LEADING COEFFICIENT, LEADING
TERM, CONSTANT TERM

1.3X +4X +5X -6X+7

4 3 2

2.X +2X -X +2X +3X+1

5 4 3 2

3.2X -10X +X+5

3 2
 What is a
RATIONAL
FUNCTION?
It is a function of the form
f(x)=p(x)/q(x)
WHERE:
p(x) and q(x) are polynomial
functions
q(x) ≠0
THE DOMAIN = f(x) is the set of
all values of x where q(x) ≠0.
Example 1
An object is to travel a
distance of 10 meters.
Express velocity v as a
function of travel time t, in
seconds.
The table of values shows v for various
values of t.
t(seconds) 1 2 4 5 10
v(meters 10 5 2.5 2 1
per second)
The function v(t)=10/t can represent v
as a function of t.
EXAMPLE 2
Suppose that c(t)=5t/t +1(in mg/mL)
2

represents the concentration of a

drug in a patient’s bloodstream t
hours after the drug was
administered. Construct a table of
values for c(t) for t =1,2,5,10. Round
off answers to three decimal places.
 t 0 1 2 5 10
c(t) 0
Answer this on your notebook

The distance from

BURAK to MAASIN
Municipal Hall is about
9 kilometers.
a. How long will it take you to get to
Municipal Hall if your average speed is;
a.1. 10 kilometers per hour?
a.2. 20 kilometers per hour?
a.3 25 kilometers per hour?
b. Construct a function(s), where s is the
speed of travel, that describes the time it
takes to drive from BURAK to MAASIN
Municipal Hall.
SOLUTION:
a. Distance is calculate as the product of
speed and time. So we can get the time
by dividing distance by the speed.
a.1. 9 kilometers/10 kilometers per hour=
a.2. 9 kilometers/ 20 kilometers per hour=
a.3. 9 kilometers/ 25 kilometers per hour=
b. Since time is the quotient of
distance and speed, we can write
out the function as.
t(s)=d/s
The distance is fixed at 9 kilometers
so the final function we have is
t(s)=250/s
Supplementary Exercises
1. Given the polynomial function
p(x)=12+4x-3x -x , find
2 3

a. The degree of the polynomial

b. The leading coefficient
c. The constant term
d. The number of zeroes.
Supplementary Exercises
2. Let C(t)= 4t/t2+4 be the function that describes the
concentration of a certain medication in the
bloodstream over time.
a. What is C(0)? Why is that so?
b. Construct a table of values for when t
is equal to 0,1,2,3,4, and 5.
c. Interpret your answers in relation to
drug concentration.
Assignment answer in 1 whole.
The budget of a university organization is split evenly
among its various committees. They have a budget of
P60,000.
a. If the organization has eight committees, how much
would each committee have?
b. Construct a function M(n) which would give the
amount of money each of the n number of
committees would receive.
c. Construct a table of values for when n is equal to
0,1,2,3,4,5,6,10,12,13,15. Then graph the values.