Section 2.8 - Algebraic Operations on Functions

Section Objectives

  1. Compute sums, differences, products, and quotients of functions.
  2. Compute a composition of functions.
  3. Write a function as a composition of functions.



Combining functions

Besides transforming individual functions, two or more functions can be combined in lots of ways to produce new functions.



The most basic combinations of functions come from the four basic arithmetic operations.




Examples










Compositions

Another useful and important way of combining functions is to form the composition. Functions are composed when the output of one function is used as the input for a second function.



The composition of and , written , is the new function . In a composition of functions, the output of the first function is the input of the second.



Examples










For further help...

  1. Do a Google search for "Operations on functions" or "Compositions of functions".
  2. Here is a video posted by a colleague at UIC.