Parent Functions

From the title, you may be thinking, the function of my parents. No. The social functions my parents attend? A definite no, because they don't really have any to go to. I'm talking about Pre-calculus Parent Functions, because I just got my project back with a 105 for my test grade!! This may seem like kind of a lame subject for a post, but I like to suggest things to help you, and if you are taking pre-calculus/calculus, plan to take calculus, or work with pre-calculus/calculus, this may just be the thing for you.

Get a note card ring to start, and I decorated mine for extra credit, but mainly just make sure you label what it is. (Sorry it's sideways; I'm still trying to figure out blog spot and its picture settings)


Then skip the first lined page (I had to put my name there anyways) and on the first white page draw your first graph (list of functions we used below). This is my tangent graph, which wasn't my first graph, but looks really cool, even if it is sideways on here. I also put spiffy graph down (it's like a sticker of graph paper), but you don't have to do it, or you could glue/tape some graph paper in if you really wanted to.

On the lined page opposite your graph, write the information about the function. We included the equation for the parent function, the domain, the range, roots, symmetry (x-axis, y-axis, origin, or none), even/odd/neither, the period if it had one, one to one?, and points of discontinuity.

So in the end you get all your information on a parent function in one glance.



Absolute Value Function

Here's a list of the parent functions we were to provide info and graphs on:
f(x)=x
f(x)=x^2 quadratic function
f(x)=x^3 cubic function
f(x)=|x| absolute value function
f(x)= [x] greatest integer function
f(x)=sinx
f(x)=cosx
f(x)=tanx
f(x)=2^x
f(x)=log2x (log of x base 2)
f(x)=1/x
f(x)=1/(x^2)
f(x)=√(x) square root function
f(x)= √(a^2 -- x^2) semi-circle function

For extra credit, and for extra help later on, I included a bunch of extra things, like transformations of graphs, trig identities, formulas, laws, etc.

Reflections in the Transformation of Graphs

 Because this is on parent functions, all other functions you will encounter are based off of these, so this book should really help. Have fun, and Happy Wednesday!