Module 2

Mathematical Language
and Symbols

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Specific Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the student should be able
to:
1. Define what a relation and a function is.
2. Translate relation and function into a diagram.
3. Name and apply the different properties of a
relation and function.
4. Identify the domain and range in a relation and
function.
5. Evaluate a function.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 RELATIONS

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

THE LANGUAGE OF RELATIONS AND FUNCTIONS

Sometimes, we ask ourselves, “What is my relationship

with other people, with the environment and most of all, with
God?”
How strong is your relationship with your parents, brother,
sister, friends and even your teacher? Are we related by blood?
Are we related through sharing common ideas and ideology?
Also, we talked about the relationship between student and
teacher, a manager and the subordinates or even people who
share common religion, ethnic or culture.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 How are we going to relate the word
relation in Mathematics? The objects of
mathematics may be related in various ways. A
set “A” may be said to be related to a set “B” if
A is a subset of B, or if A is not a subset of B, or
if A and B have at least one element in
common. A number x may be said to be related
to a number y if x < y, or if x is a factor of y, or
if x2 + y2 = 1.
Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)
A B

x y= f(x)
Let us say the question is this. What is y = f(x) = 3x + 2 when x = 2?

A B Now,
when our
x = 2, then
x=2 y= f(x)= 8
our
y = f(x)
would be
3x + 2 = 8
 To be able to understand better what a relation is all about more specifically if we talked about relation in
mathematics, let us have a simple illustration.

Let A = {1,2,3} and B = {2, 3, 4} and let us say that an element x in A is related to
an element y in B if and only if, x is less than y (x < y) and let us use the notation x R y
as translated mathematical term for the sentence “x is related to y. Then, it follows that:
A B
x R y iff x < y
1 R 2 since 1 < 2
1 R 3 since 1 < 3 1 2
1 R 4 since 1 < 4
2 3
2 R 3 since 2 < 3
2 R 4 since 2 < 4 3 4
3 R 4 since 3 < 4.

Now, can we say that 3 R 2?

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Recall the Cartesian product. What are the elements of A x B? It is clearly
stated A x B = { (1,2), (1,3), (1,4), (2,2), (2,3), (2,4), (3,2), (3,3), (3,4)}. Here, the
elements of some ordered pairs in A x B are related, whereas the element of other
ordered pairs are not.

What are the elements (ordered pair) in A x B, based on the given conditions, that
are related? Recall that x < y, perhaps your answer would be:

Rel = { (x,y) | (1,2), (1,3), (1,4), (2,3), (2,4), (3,4)}

Observe that knowing which ordered pairs lie in this set is equivalent to knowing
which elements are related to which. The relation can therefore be thought of the
totality of ordered pairs whose elements are related by the given condition. The
formal mathematical definition of relation, based on this idea, was introduced by the
American mathematicians and logician C.S. Peirce in the nineteenth century.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

Let A = {1,2,3} and B = {2,4,6}. Find A x B and
answer the following items.
1. Give all the element in R  (a,b) that is
a2 – b2 is a positive integer.

2. Give all the element in R  (a,b) that is

a - b is a negative integer.

3. Give all the element in R  (a,b) that is is an integer.

So, what is a relation?
1. A relation from set X to Y is the set of ordered pairs of real numbers (x, y) such that to each element x
of the set X there corresponds at least one element of the set Y.

2. Let A and B set. A relation (Rel) from A to B is a subset of A x B. Given an ordered pair (x, y) in A x
B, x is related to y by R, written x R y, if and only if, (x, y) is in R. The set A is called the domain of R
and the set B is called its co-domain or range.

A B
A x B = {(1,3), (1,5), (1,7), (2,3), (2,5), (2,7), (3,3), (3,5), (3,7)}

1 3
Let us say, the relation would be a = b. So, Rel = {(3, 3)}

2 5 Now, let us say, the relation is a – b = Z-

3 7
Rel = {{(1,3), (1,5), (1,7), (2,3), (2,5), (2,7), (3,5), (3,7)}
Now, what are the ordered pair that when a is subtracted
by b, the result is negative?

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

Notation:

The notation for a relation R may be written symbolically as follows:

x R y meaning (x, y)  R.
The notation x R y means that x is not related to y by R;
x R y meaning (x, y)  R.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

Example:

Given a set of an ordered pairs (x, y):

{(0, -5), (1, -4), (2, -3), (3, -2), (4, -1), (5, 0)}

The domain are x = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

The co-domain (range) are y = {-5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0}

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Let A = {1,2} and B = {1,2,3} and define a relation R from
A to B as follows: Given any (x,y)  A x B,

(x,y)  R means that is an integer;

a) State explicitly which ordered pairs are in A x B and which are

in R.

A x B = { (x,y) | (1,1), (1,2), (1,3), (2,1), (2,2), (2,3)}

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

a) A x B = {(1,1), (1,2), (1,3), (2,1), (2,2),(2,3)}. To determine explicitly the composition
of R, examine each ordered pair in A x B to see whether its element satisfies the defining
condition for R. The condition is R which is stated as must be an integer.

(1,1) ∈R because (1-1)/2=0/2=0, which is an integer.

(1,2) ∉ R because (1-2)/2=-1/2, which is not an integer.

(1,3) ∈R because (1-3)/2=-2/2=-1, which is an integer.

(2,1) ∉R because (2-1)/2=1/2, which is not an integer.

(2,2) ∈R because (2-2)/2=0/2=0, which is an integer.

(2,3) ∉R because (2-3)/2= -1/2, which is not an integer.

Thus, R = {(1,1), (1,3), (2,2)}. Domain = D = {1,2}; Range = Ra = {1, 2, 3}

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

Arrow Diagram
A B

1
1
2
2
3
b) Is 1 R 3? Is 2 R 3? Is 2 R 2?
Yes! 1 R 3 because (1,3)  R
No! 2 R 3 because (2,3)  R
Yes! 2 R 2 because (2,2)  R.

c) What are the domain and the co-domain of R?

The domain of R is {1,2} and the co-domain is {1,2,3}

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

B. ARROW DIAGRAM OF A RELATION

Suppose R is a relation from a set A to a set B. The arrow diagram for R is

obtained as follows:

Represent the elements of A as a points in one region and the elements of B as

points in another region.

For each x in A and y in B, draw an arrow from x to y, and only if, x is related to
y by R. Symbolically:

Draw an arrow from x to y

If and only if, x R y
If and only if, (x, y)  R.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

Example:
1. Given a relation {(1, 2),(0, 1),(3, 4),(2, 1),(0, −2)}. Illustrate the given relation
into an arrow diagram.
0 -2
1 1
2
2
4
3

Domain Co-domain or Range

2. What is the domain and co-domain of an example 1?

The domain are as follows: {0, 1, 2, 3}

The co-domain are as follows: {-2, 1, 2, 4}
Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)
3. Let A = {1,2,3} and B = {1,3,5} and define relations S and T from A to B as follows:
For all (x, y)  A x B, (x,y) S means that x < y, i.e., S is a “less than” relation

Draw arrow diagrams for S.

Solution:
A x B = {(1,1), (1,3), (1,5), (2,1), (2,3), (2,5), (3,1), (3,3), (3,5)}. It is given by x < y
so S = {(1,3), (1,5), (2,3), (2,5), (3,5)}

1 1
2 3
3 5

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 PROPERTIES OF RELATIONS

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

REFLEXIVE
A relation R on A is said to be reflexive if every
element of A is related to itself. In notation, a R a for
all a  A.
Examples of reflexive relations include:

_ "is equal to" (equality)

_ "is a subset of" (set inclusion)
_ "is less than or equal to" and "is greater than or equal to" (inequality)
_ "divides" (divisibility).

An example of a non reflexive relation is the relation "is the father of" on a set of people since no person is the
father of themself. In an ordered pair (a, a).

R = {(x,y)| x = a; y = a}
R = {(1,1), (1,2), (2,2), ,(2,1), (3,3)} is a reflexive
Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)
 When looking at an arrow diagram, a relation is reflexive if every element of
A has an arrow pointing to itself. For example, the relation in a given figure below
is a reflexive relation.

{(2,2), (2,6), (2,4), (2,10), (4,4),(4,8),(5,5),(6,6),(8,8),(5,10),(10,10)}

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

SYMMETRIC
A relation R on A is symmetric if given a R b then b R a.

For example, "is married to" is a symmetric relation, while, "is less than"
is not. The relation "is the sister of" is not symmetric on a set that contains a
brother and sister but would be symmetric on a set of females. The arrow
diagram of a symmetric relation has the property that whenever there is a
directed arrow from a to b, there is also a directed arrow from b to a.

A={1,2,3}
B=(4,5}
R = {(1,2), (2,1),
(1,4) (4,1)(1,5)(5,1) (2,2), (1,1)}

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

TRANSITIVE
A relation R on A is transitive if given a R b and b R c then a R c.

Examples of transitive relations include:

_ "is equal to" (equality)

_ "is a subset of" (set inclusion)
_ "is less than or equal to" and "is greater than or equal to" (inequality)
_ "divides" (divisibility).

On the other hand, "is the mother of" is not a transitive relation, because if Maria is the mother
of Josefa, and Josefa is the mother of Juana, then Maria is not the mother of Juana.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 The arrow diagram of a transitive relation has the property
that whenever there are directed arrows from a to b and from b to c
then there is also a directed arrow from a to c:

{(1,2), (2,3), (1,3)}

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

Equivalence Relation
A relation that is reflexive, symmetric, and transitive is called an equivalence
relation on A.
Examples of equivalence relations include:

_ The equality ("=") relation between real numbers or sets.

_ The relation "is similar to" on the set of all triangles.
_ The relation "has the same birthday as" on the set of all human beings.

On the other hand, the relation "  " is not an equivalence relation on the set
of all subsets of a set A since this relation is not symmetric.

R = { (1,1), (1,2), (2,2), (2,1)}; This is reflexive, symmetric and transitive

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

Self-Learning Activity
Let A = {1, 3, 5} and B = {2, 4, 6}. List down all the elements of a
relation based on the given condition.
Rel = {(a, b) | a2 – b2 is greater than zero}

Rel = {(a, b) | a – b is less than zero}

Rel = {(a, b) | is an integer}

Tell whether the following is reflexive, symmetric or transitive.

1. R = {(1,2), (1,1), (2,3), (2,2), (3,1), (3,3)
2. R = {(1,1), (2,1), (2,2),(3,2), (3,3), (3,1)}
3. R={(2,1), (1,3),(3,2),(2,3),(3,1),(1,2)}
4. R={(1,1),(1,2),(2,1),(2,2),(2,3),(3,2),(3,3),(1,3),(3,1)}
FUNCTIONS
 What is a Function?
A function is a relation in which every input (domain) is paired with exactly one
output (range).

A function from set X to Y is the set of ordered pairs of real numbers (x, y) in
which no two distinct ordered pairs have the same first component. Similar to a
relation, the values of x is called the domain of the function and the set of all resulting
value of y is called the range or co-domain of the function.
A relation f from a set A to a set B is said to be function if every
element of set A has one and only one image in set B.

In other words, a function f is a relation such that no two pairs in the

relation has the same first element.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 A function F from a set A to a set B is a relation with domain and co-domain
B that satisfies the following two properties:

1. For every element x in A, there is an element y in B such that (x,y) F.

2. For all elements x in A and y and z in B, if (x,y)  F and (x,z) F, then y =
z

These two properties; (1) and (2) can be stated less formally as follows:

1. Every element of A is the first element of an ordered pair of F.

2. No two distinct ordered pairs in F have the same first element.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 The notation f : X → Y means that f is a function from X to Y. X is called the
domain of f and Y is called the co-domain of f. Given an element x ∈ X, there is a
unique element y in Y that is related to x.

The unique element y to which f relates x is denoted by f (x) and is called f of x,

or the value of f at x, or the image of x under f.

The set of all values of f (x) taken together is called the range of f or image of
X under f.

Symbolically.

range of f = { y ∈ Y | y = f (x), for some x in X}

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

Is a function a relation?
• Focus on the x-coordinates, when given a relation

• If the set of ordered pairs have different x-coordinates (or the first element of an ordered pair),

it IS A function
• If the set of ordered pairs have same x-coordinates,
it is NOT a function but it could be said a relation

Note:
Y-coordinates have no bearing in determining functions
Function is a relation but relation could not be said as function.
Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)
 Illustration
{(0,  5), (1,  4), (2,  3), (3,  2), (4,  1), (5, 0)}
•Is this a function?
• Hint: Look only at the x-coordinates

YES
{(–1,  7), (1, 0), ( 2,  3), (0,  8), (0, 5), (–2,  1)}
•Is this a function?
• Hint: Look only at the x-coordinates

NO
Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)
 Illustration
Which mapping represents a function?

Choice One Choice Two

3 –1 2 2
1 2 –1 3
0 3 3 –2
0

Choice 1
Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)
 Allan

Learsi Casiano

Ernesto

This is a relation and not a function.

 Allan

Casiano Learsi
Ernesto

This is a function.
 Illustration
Which mapping represents a function?

A. B.

B
Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)
 Vertical Line Test
•Vertical Line Test: a relation is a function if a
vertical line drawn through its graph, passes through
only one point.

AKA: “The Pencil Test”

Take a pencil and move it from left to right (–x to
x); if it crosses more than one point, it is not a function
Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)
 Vertical Line Test

Would this
graph be a
function?

YES
Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)
 Vertical Line Test

Would this
graph be a
function?

NO
Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)
 According to the vertical line test and the
definition of a function, if a vertical line cuts
the graph more than once, the graph could
not be the graph of a function since we have
multiple y- values for the same x-value and
this violates the definition of a function.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

Evaluating a Function
 f(x) means function of x and is read “f of x.”

f(x) = y = 2x + 1 is written in function notation.

The notation f(1) means to replace x with 1 resulting

in the function value.
f(x)
f(1) = 2x + 1
f(1) = 2(1) + 1
f(1) = 3 1 3

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

Given g(x) = x – 3, find g(-2) . 2

g(x) = x – 3; substitute -2 to a variable x

2

g(-2) = x – 3; so we get;
2

g(-2) = (-2) – 3; simplifying

2

g(-2) = 1; and this is the value of g(-2)

for x – 3
2

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Given f(x) = 2 x 2  3 x , the following.
a. f(3) b. 3f(x) c. f(3x)

f(3) = 2x2 – 3x 3f(x) = 3(2x2 – 3x) f(3x) = 2x2 – 3x

f(3) = 2(3)2 – 3(3) 3f(x) = 6x2 – 9x f(3x) = 2(3x)2 – 3(3x)
f(3) = 2(9) - 9 f(3x) = 2(9x2) – 3(3x)
f(3) = 9 f(3x) = 18x2 – 9x

So, in evaluating a function, you must have a

strong knowledge about Algebra.
Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)
Operations on Functions
The following are definitions on the operations on functions.
a. The sum or difference of f and g, denoted by f ± g is the function
defined by (f ± g)(x) = f(x) ± g(x).
b. The product of f and g, denoted by f · g is the function defined by
(f·g)(x) = f(x)·g(x).
c. The quotient of f and g denoted by (f/g)(x) is the function defined by
f(x)/g(x), where g(x) is not equal to zero.
d. The composite function of f and g denoted by f ο g is the function
defined by (f ο g)(x) = f(g(x)). Similarly, the composite function of g
by f, denoted by g ο f, is the function defined by ( g ο f)(x) = g(f(x)).

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Illustration

a. If f(x) = 2x + 1 and g(x) = 3x + 2, find (f+g)(x).

Solution:
(f+g)(x) = f(x) + g(x)
= (2x + 1) + (3x + 2)
= 2x + 3x + 1 + 2
= 5x + 3

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Illustration
b. What is (f • g)(x) if f(x) = 2x + 1 and g(x) = 3x + 2?

Solution:
(f • g)(x) = f(x) • g(x)
= (2x + 1)(3x + 2)
= 6x2 + 7x + 2

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Illustration

c. What is if f(x) = 2a + 6b and g(x) = a + 3b?

Solution:

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Illustration
d. If f(x) = 2x + 1 and g(x) = 3x + 2, what is (g  f)(x)?

Solution:
(g  f)(x) = g(f(x)) = g(2x + 1)
= 3(2x + 1) + 2
= 6x + 3 + 2
= 6x + 5

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Illustration
e. If f(x) = 2x + 1 and g(x) = 3x + 2, what is (f  g)(x)?

Solution:
(f  g)(x) = f(g(x)) = f(3x + 2)
= 2(3x + 2) + 1
= 6x + 4 + 1
= 6x + 5

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Illustration
e. If f(x) = 2x + 1 and g(x) = 3x + 2, what is (f  f)(x)?

Solution:
(f  f)(x) = f(f(x)) = f(2x + 1)
= 2(2x + 1) + 1
= 4x + 2 + 1
= 4x + 3

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Types of Functions
If a polynomial of degree n defines a function f, f is called a
polynomial function of degree n.
a) if f(x) is of degree 1, f is called a linear function.
b) if the polynomial is of degree 2, the function is called
quadratic.
c) if the polynomial is of degree 3, the function is cubic.
d) if the polynomial is of degree 4 and 5, the function is
called quartic and quintic respectively.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Linear Polynomial Functions

• Degree 1.
• One x-intercepts.
• No turning points.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Quadratic Polynomial Functions
• Degree 2 - parabola that opens up or down.
• Zero, one or two x-intercepts.
• Exactly ONE turning point, which is also the VERTEX.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Cubic Polynomial Functions
• Degree 3.
• Up to three x-intercepts.
• Up to two turning points.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

 Quartic Polynomial Functions
• Degree 4.
• Up to four x-intercepts.
• Up to three turning points.

Module 2 | Topic 2-3 : Four Basic Concepts (Functions and Relations)

Self-Learning Activity
1. Define a relation C from R to R as follows: For any (x,y) R x R,

(x,y)  C meaning that x2 + y2 = 1.

Is (1,0)  C? Is (0,0)  C? Is -2 C 0? Is 0 C (-1)?

2. What are the domain and the co-domain of C?

3. If f(x) = 2x2 and g(x) = 3x + 1, evaluate the following:

a) (f + g)(x) b) (f • g)(x) c) d) (g  f)(x)