Mathematics

Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Functions

LESSON 1.1
Functions, Function Notations, and Equations
Table of Contents
Introduction 1

Test Your Prerequisite Skills 2

DepEd Competency 2

Objectives 3

Warm-Up! 3

Learn about It! 4

Let’s Practice 8

Check Your Understanding 11

Key Points 13

Bibliography 14
 Mathematics
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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

Lesson 1.1
Functions, Function Notations, and
Equations

Fig. 1. Tax Calculation

Introduction
Are you familiar with taxes? You might wonder how the Value Added Tax (VAT) affects your
electric and water bills someday. You might also worry that this value varies every month. You
have to keep in mind that the tax charged to consumers, like your household, is a function of
the amount of consumption in a particular month.

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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

In this lesson, you will learn about functions and how it is applied in real life situations.

Test Your Prerequisite Skills

Before you get started, answer the following items on a separate sheet of paper. This will
help you assess your prior knowledge and practice some skills that you will need in studying
this lesson. Show your complete solution.

A. Plot the following set of ordered pairs in the Cartesian plane and connect all the dots.
1. (2, 0) 6. (4, 8)
2. (2, 2) 7. (6, 8)
3. (2, 4) 8. (4, 4)
4. (2, 6) 9. (6, 4)
5. (2, 8) 10. (7, 8)

B. Evaluate each algebraic expression at the specified value of 𝑥.

1. 2𝑥 + 10 at 𝑥 = 18 4. (√𝑥)(4𝑥) at 𝑥 = 9
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2. 3𝑥+2 at 𝑥 = −1 5. 2𝑥 2 + √𝑥 at 𝑥 = 8
3

3. 𝑥 2 − 7 at 𝑥 = 8

DepEd Competency
At the end of the lesson, the learners should be able to represent real-life
situations using functions, including piece-wise functions (M11GM-Ia-1).

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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the learners should be able to do the following:

● Correctly define a function.

● Properly represent a function using function notation.

● Properly model real-life problems using functions.

Warm-Up!

Rule Me Out!

Materials
● pen and paper

Instructions
1. This activity will be done by pair.
2. Take a look at the three table below. Supply the missing information in the table
according to the given rule.

Table 1. Add 6 to input Table 2. Subtract 10 from the input

RULE RULE
Add 𝟔 to the input Subtract 𝟏𝟎 from the output
I 𝟔 → O I → 2 O
N 𝟖 → U N → 34 U
P 𝟏𝟓 → T P → 3 T
U 𝟒 → P U → 16 P
T 𝟏𝟑 → U T → 5 U
𝟏𝟐 → T → 8 T

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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

Table 3. Identify the rule

RULE

I 𝟏𝟐 → 9 O
N −𝟒 → 5 U
P −𝟏𝟔 → 2 T
U 𝟖 → 8 P
T 𝟒 → 7 U
−𝟐𝟒 → 0 T

Learn about It!

Essential Question
What is a function?

In an equation with two variables, 𝑥 and 𝑦, the variable 𝑦 may be expressed as 𝑓(𝑥) if every
value of 𝑥 corresponds to a single value of 𝑦. This is known as a function, where 𝑦 is a function
of 𝑥. It is usually denoted by 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥). Here, 𝑥 is the independent variable and 𝑦 is the
dependent variable.

The function 𝑓(𝑥) can be thought of as a “machine” that accepts values of 𝑥 as input and
produces values of 𝑦 as output. These outputs are also known as values of 𝑓(𝑥). In Warm Up!,
the rule acts as the function while the values are the input and the output.

Say, if you feed a tree trunk into a woodcutting machine, it will produce pieces of chopped
wood.

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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

The tree trunks are the input, the machine is the function, and the chopped logs are the
output. Let us look at an example as follows:

In the equation of the line 𝑦 = 2𝑥 + 1, if 𝑥 = 1, it follows that 𝑦 = 2(1) + 1 = 3. Also, if 𝑥 = 2, it

follows that 𝑦 = 2(2) + 1 = 5. Finally, if 𝑥 = 3, it means that 𝑦 = 2(3) + 1 = 7. In this equation,
𝑥 is the input, 2𝑥 + 1 is the function, and 𝑦 is the output.

Here are other ways of writing functions.

• 𝑓 (𝑥) = 3𝑥 + 1 𝑦 is written as a function of 𝑥, or 𝑓 (𝑥).
• 𝑥 → 3𝑥 + 1 The arrow is read as “is mapped to.”
• 𝑓 ∶ 𝑥 → 3𝑥 + 1 This method also names the function 𝑓.
• 𝑓 = {(𝑥, 𝑦)|𝑦 = 3𝑥 + 1} Here, the function 𝑓 is written as a set.

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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

Essential Question
How will you represent functions?

Take note that 𝑓 and 𝑥 may be replaced with any other letters to represent problems. For
example, the function that defines the area of a circle in terms of its radius may be
represented by 𝐴(𝑟). Similarly, 𝑣(𝑡) can be used to denote velocity as a function of time.

Aside from the above methods of notation, some equations known as candidate functions
may also be used to represent functions. The equation 𝑦 = 3𝑥 + 1 , for example, is a
candidate function because we can substitute a value of 𝑥 to obtain a corresponding value of
𝑦. But how do we distinguish between functions and equations?

Essential Question
How will you determine whether a given equation is a function?

Equations denote equality between two expressions. On the other hand, functions denote
relationships between two variables. A function always involves a relation between a set of
inputs and a set of outputs.

Piecewise Functions
Earlier, we showed an equation of a line, 𝑦 = 2𝑥 + 1. If we plot this equation in a coordinate
plane, we will have the following graph, in which the line extends infinitely for the values
along the 𝑥-axis.

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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

Notice that the 𝑥-axis can be divided into intervals. Also, we can sketch parts of different
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functions along each interval. For example, the following figure shows the graph of 𝑓(𝑥) =
2
1
in the interval −2 < 𝑥 < 0, and the graph of 𝑓(𝑥) = − 2 elsewhere.

This is called a piecewise function. It can be represented by writing the appropriate

functions for each interval.

For the given figure, the piecewise function is defined as follows:

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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

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−if 𝑥 ≤ −2
2
1
𝑓(𝑥) = if − 2 < 𝑥 < 0
2
1
{− 2 if 𝑥 ≥ 0

Let’s Practice
Example 1
In a clothes dryer, what do you think is the input, the function, and the output?

Solution
Putting wet clothes in the dryer will cause the clothes to dry. Hence, the wet
clothes are the input, the drying process is the function, and the results (the
output) are the dry clothes.

Try It Yourself!
Which of the following machines can be considered as a function?
a. Television set b. Paper shredder c. Electric fan

Example 2
Analyze the given chart below. Determine the input, the function, and the output.

𝒙 1 2 3 4 5
𝒚 4 5 6 7 8

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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

Solution
The input is the 𝒙-values (𝟏, 𝟐, 𝟑, 𝟒, 𝟓) and the output is the 𝒚-values (𝟒, 𝟓, 𝟔, 𝟕, 𝟖). Notice that
if the value of 𝑥 is 1, the value of 𝑦 is 4. If 𝑥 is 2, 𝑦 is 5, and so on. By observing the pattern,
note that each input increases by 3 after “going through” the function. Hence, the function is
𝒚 = 𝒙 + 𝟑.

Try It Yourself!
Using the graph on the right, complete the table by writing
the inputs and outputs of the function. Use integral values.
Input (𝒙) Output (𝒚)

Example 3
Consider the following equations:
a. 3𝑥 = 4𝑥 − 1
b. 𝑦 = 3𝑥 + 1
c. 2 + 5 = 6 + 1

Which of the given equations is a function?

Solution
The only function among the three equations is 𝑦 = 3𝑥 + 1, because it denotes a relationship
between two variables 𝑥 and 𝑦.

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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

Try It Yourself!
Tell whether each equation is a function or not.
a. 𝑓(𝑥) = 0 b. 𝑥 = 3𝑦 + 2 c. 3𝑚 = 𝑚 + 1 d. 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 2 + 2

Real-world Problems

Example 4
A game at a theme park offers prize money based on the number
of balls you can successfully shoot in one minute.
• 0-7 successful shots: no prize
• 8-15 successful shots: ₱150
• more than 15 successful shots: ₱200

Write a piecewise function 𝑀(𝑥) that relates the prize money offered to the number of
successful shots you make.

Solution
The piecewise function that can represent the problem is

0 if 0 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 7
𝑀(𝑥) = {150 if 8 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 15
200 if 𝑥 > 15

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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

Try It Yourself!
In a T-shirt store, the manager gives a 5% discount for a
purchase of 1-10 pieces, 10% discount for 11-20 pieces, and
15% discount for a purchase of 21 pieces and more. Write a
piecewise function that relates the discount to the number of
T-shirts purchased.

Check Your Understanding

1. Put a check mark (✓) on the blank if the item is considered a “function machine”. If not,
put a cross mark ().
____ a. Meat grinder ____ f. Sewing machine
____ b. Chain saw ____ g. Pencil sharpener
____ c. Computer ____ h. Refrigerator
____ d. Bread toaster ____ i. Paper cutter
____ e. Vacuum cleaner ____ j. Meat slicer

2. Tell whether each equation is a function or not.

a. 4 − 𝑦 = 𝑥 f. 5𝑥 + 4𝑦 = 9
b. 𝐴(𝑟) = 𝜋𝑟 2 g. 34 − 2𝑥 = 14 + 2𝑦
c. 4 = 12 − 8 h. 𝑃(𝑐) = 𝑐 + 0.5𝑐
d. 𝑓(𝑥) = 12𝑦 i. 6𝑡 = 𝐺(𝑡) − 5
e. 𝑦 = 2 j. 6 − 4 + 3 = 𝑥

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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

3. Write T beside the statement if the statement is true. Write F for false statements.

a. In the function 𝑦 = −6𝑥 + 4, 𝑥 is the dependent variable and 𝑦 is the

independent variable.
b. Functions can be modeled by the “input-process-output” machine.
c. 𝑓 = {(𝑥, 𝑦)|𝑦 = 𝑥} can be considered a function.
d. All equations are functions.
e. All functions are equations.

4. Write a piecewise function for the problem.

Mang Ernesto works as a candle maker. He must produce more than 200 pieces of
candles to earn ₱2 per candle. If the number of candles produced is from 100 to 200,
he will earn ₱1.50 per candle. If the number of candies produced is less than 100, he
will get ₱1 per candle.

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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

Key Points

● A function is a special kind of relation in which no two distinct ordered pairs have the
same first element
● Independent and Dependent Variables
The value that a function takes in is called the input or the independent variable while
the corresponding value that it produces is the output or the dependent variable.
● Ways of Writing Functions
𝑓 (𝑥) = 2𝑥 + 6 𝑦 is written as a function of 𝑥.
𝑥 → 2𝑥 + 6 The arrow is read as “is mapped to.”
𝑓 ∶ 𝑥 → 2𝑥 + 6 The colon symbol (:) is read as “such that.”
𝑓 = {(𝑥, 𝑦)|𝑦 = 2𝑥 + 6} The function 𝑓 is written as a set.
● A piecewise function is a function composed of two or more expressions for the
different parts of the domain

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Grade 11 • Unit 1: Introduction to Function

Bibliography
Lumen. "Introduction to Function." Accessed January 27, 2019.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-algebra/chapter/introduction-to-
functions/

NCTM. "Magic Numbers." Accessed January 27, 2019.

http://figurethis.nctm.org/challenges/c60/challenge.htm

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