1

Chapter 2.3
Definition:
Functions defined in pieces are called Piecewise
Defined Functions. They use different formulas on
different parts of its domain.



The Absolute Value Function is an Example of a
Piecewise Defined Function
The graph of y = |x| is shown below. It is V-shaped
and cannot be represented by a single linear
function. However, it can be represented by the lines
y = x (when x > 0) and y = x (when x < 0). This
suggests that the absolute value function can be
defined by


x if x 0
| x | =
x if x < 0



|3| = 3 since 3 > 0 we use the formula |x| = x.
|3| = (3) = 3 since 3 < 0 we use the formula |x| = x.
|0| = 0

Remark:
2
x = |x|.

4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5
X
Y
2
Example:
A taxi company charges $2.50 for the first mile (or
part of a mile) and $1.50 for each succeeding mile
(or part). Express the cost C (in dollars) of a ride as a
function of the distance d traveled (in miles) for
0 < d 4, and sketch the graph of this function.
The Cost Function:
4 3
3 2
2 1
1 0
00 . 7
50 . 5
00 . 4
50 . 2
) (
s <
s <
s <
s <

=
d
d
d
d for
d C



2.50
1 2 3 4 5
C (in dollars)
4.00
5.50
7.00
d (in miles)
3
Example:
x 3 if x < 0
g(x) = 2 if x = 0
x
2
if x > 0
Sketch the graph of g.
Function g applies to all numbers, and so the domain of
g is all real numbers.
We can graph g by graphing each of its pieces on the
same coordinate plane. For x < 0, we graph y = x 3.
We need to plot a point above x = 0 at the height y = 2;
that is, the point (0 , 2). Finally, for x > 0, we graph
y = x
2
. The graph of y = g(x) is shown below.




4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
x
y
4
Common Mistakes in Algebra

(i) (x + 4)
2
= x
2
+ 16 is INCORRECT.

The correct answer:
(x + 4)
2
= x
2
+ 8x + 16



(ii) 4 3 4 3
2 2
+ = + is INCORRECT.

The correct answer:
. 5 25 16 9 4 3
2 2
= = + = +














5
Solutions to Selected Problems
Example 1: page 83, exercise 4.
For x s 0, we use the first formula:
Pick some convenient numbers for x s 0.
x
3 2 1
0
f(x) = x
2
9 4 1 0

For 0 < x < 4, use the second formula.
x 0 1 2 3 4
f(x) = x

0 1
2 3
2
When you graph the second piece of the function,
use open circles for points (0 , 0) and ( 4, 2).

For x 4, use the last formula.
x 4 6 8
f(x) =
2
x

2 3 4


4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
4
3
2
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
x
y
6
Example 2: page 84, exercise 7
We find formulas for each line.
For the first line, we use the points (1,4) and (3,2).
Slope = . 1
1 3
4 2
=

Using the point-slope form, we get
y 4 = 1(x 1)
y = x + 5.
For the second line, we use the points (3,0.5) and
(5,1.5).
Slope = .
2
1
3 5
5 . 0 5 . 1
=

Using the point-slope form, we get
y 0.5 = (x 3)
y = x 1.
Therefore, the function is
x + 5 x < 3
f(x) =
x 1 x > 3

Example 3: page 84, exercise 11

(a) Yes, y is a function of x because each x-value
corresponds to exactly one y-value.
(b) No, x is not a function of y because each
y-value corresponds to more than one x-value.
(c) Range of f = {1, 2 , 3, 4}

7
Example 4: page 84, exercise 14.
(a) Upon entry, the cost is $2.50. An amount of $0.50 is added
for tax. So, the initial amount is $3.00. Each additional
5
1
mile
gives an increment of $0.40.
Miles

0 5
1

5
2

5
3

5
4


1 5
1
1
5
2
1
5
3
1
5
4
1

2

Cost

3

3.40

3.80

4.20

4.60

5

5.40

5.80

6.20

6.60

7
(b) From the table, the cost for a 1.2-milr trip is $5.40.
(c) From the table, the maximum one can travel for
$5.80 is 1.4 mile.

0.4 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
x
y
8
Example 5: page 85, exercise 17.
(a) The smaller the difference, the smaller is the
refund. The smallest possible difference is 1 penny
or $0.01. Since the smallest refund you can get is
$1, a difference of $0.01 gives a refund of $1.01.
(b) Case (i): If 10 times the difference is less than
$1, then you would get a refund of $1 plus the
difference. This happens when the difference is
more than 0 but less than 10 cents. The formula is
y = 1 + x.
Case (ii): If 10 times the difference is between $1
and $5, then you would get a refund of 10 times
the difference plus the difference. This happens
when the difference is between ten cents and fifty
cents. The formula is y = 10x + x.
Case (iii): If 10 times the difference is more than
$5, then you would get a refund of $5 plus the
difference. This happens when the difference is
more than fifty cents. The formula is y = 5 + x.
Therefore, the function is
1 + x 0 < x < 0.10
f(x) = 10x + x 0.10 x 0.50
5 + x x > 0.50
(c) We want x when y = 9. This happens when
x > 0.50. So, we use the third formula: 5 + x.
Solving 5 + x = 9, we get x = 9 5 = 4.
So, the price difference would have to be $4.

9
Example 6: page 85, exercise 20.
(a)
x
2
4 if x
2
4 > 0
| x
2
4 | =
(x
2
4) if x
2
4 < 0

x
2
4 > 0 implies x 2 or x > 2
x
2
4 < 0 implies 2 < x < 2.

The formula is
x
2
4 x 2
|x
2
4| = 4 x
2
2 < x < 2
x
2
4 x > 2
(b)

4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
x
y
10


Homework:
1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23.