Section 6.

1
Composite Functions
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Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Suppose that an oil tanker is leaking oil and we want to be
able to determine the area o the circular oil patch around the
ship. It is determined that the oil is leaking from the tanker
in such a way that the radius of the circular oil patch around
the ship is increasing at a rate of 3 feet per minute.
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
( ) ( )
2 3
Suppose that 2 3 4 1. Find: f x x g x x = + = +
( )( ) ( ) ( )
(a) 1 1 f g f g =
( ) ( )
3
1 4 1 1 5 g = + =
( ) ( )
2
3 5 2 3 5 5 f = = + =
( )( ) ( ) ( )
(b) 1 1 g f g f =
( ) ( )
2
1 2 1 3 5 f = + =
( ) ( )
3
5 5 4 1 501 g = + = =
( )( ) ( ) ( )
(c) 2 2 f f f f =
( ) ( )
2
2 2 2 3 11 f = + =
( ) ( )
2
11 11 2 3 245 f = = + =
( )( ) ( ) ( )
(d) 1 1 g g g g =
( ) ( )
3
1 4 1 1 3 g = + =
( ) ( )
3
1 7 3 4 10 3 g = + = =
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Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
( ) ( )
2
Suppose that 2 4 and 4 1. f x x x g x x = + = +
( )( ) ( ) ( )
(a) f g x x f g =
( )
4 1 g x x = +
( ) ( ) ( )
2
2 4 1 4 1 4 1 4 x x x f + + + = = +
( )
2
2 16 8 1 4 1 4 x x x = + + +
2
32 16 2 4 3 x x x = + + +
2
32 12 5 x x = + +
The domain of g is all real numbers as is the domain of the
composite function, so the domain of f g is the set of all
real numbers.
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( ) ( )
2
Suppose that 2 4 and 4 1. f x x x g x x = + = +
( )( ) ( ) ( )
(b) g f x x g f =
( )
2
2 4 f x x x = +
( ) ( )
2 2
4 2 4 2 4 1 g x x x x + + = + =
2
8 4 16 1 x x = + +
The domain of f is all real numbers as is the domain of the
composite function, so the domain of g f is the set of all
real numbers.
2
8 4 17 x x = +
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
( ) ( )
3 2
and .
5 1
f x g x
x x
= =
+
{ }
We first need the domain of which is 1 . g x x =
So we must exclude 1 from the domain of . f g
( )
( )
The domain of is 5 so if we put in this
function for , 5.
f x g x
x g x
=
=
( )
2
Find value where 5
1
g x
x
= =
+
( )
2 5 1 x = +
2 5 5 x = +
3
5
x =
3
The domain of is 1,
5
f g x x x

= =
`
)
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
( ) ( )
3 2
Suppose that and .
5 1
Find: (a) (b) and the domain of the composite function.
f x g x
x x
f g f f
= =
+
{ } { }
Note the domain of is 5 and the domain of is 1 . f x x g x x = =
( )( ) ( ) ( )
(a) f g x x f g =
( )
2
1
g x
x
=
+
2
3 2
1
5
1 x
x
f
| |
=
|
\ .
+
=

+
( )
( )
3 1
3 3 3 3 3 3
2 5 1 2 5 5 5 3 5 3
x
x x x
x x x x
+
+ + +
= = =
+ +
The domain of is the excluded value for the domain of which is 1
and also the value that would cause the composite function to have division by 0
3
so the domain of is 1, .
5
f g g
f g x x x

= =
`
)
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
( ) ( )
3 2
Suppose that and .
5 1
Find: (a) (b) and the domain of the composite function.
f x g x
x x
f g f f
= =
+
{ } { }
Note the domain of is 5 and the domain of is 1 . f x x g x x = =
( )( ) ( ) ( )
(b) f f x x f f =
( )
3
5
f x
x
=

3
3 3
5
5
5 x
x
f
| |
=
|
\ .

( )
( )
3 5
3 15 3 15 3 15
3 5 5 3 5 25 5 28 5 28
x
x x x
x x x x

= = =
+ + +
The domain of is the excluded value for the domain of which is 5
and also the value that would cause the composite function to have division by 0
28
so the domain of is 5, .
5
f f f
f f x x x

= =
`
)
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )( ) ( )( )
1
If 2 1 and 1 . Show that =
2
for every in the domain of and .
f x x g x x f g x g f x x
x f g g f
= + = =
( )( ) ( ) ( )
x f g x f g =
( ) ( )
1
1
2
g x x =
( ) ( )
1 1
1
2 2
2 1 1 x f x
| |
=
| |
= +
|
\

.

\ .

|
1 1
2 1 1 1
2 2
x x x
| |
= + + = + =
|
\ .
( )( ) ( ) ( )
x g f x g f =
( )
2 1 f x x = +
( ) ( )
1
2 1 2 1 1
2
x x g = = + +
( )
1
2
2
x x = =
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
( )
50
f x x =
( )
2
1 g x x = +
2
1 x +
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
( )
( )
2
3
Find functions and such that if
5
f g f g H H x
x
= =

( )
5 g x x =
5 x
( )
2
3
f x
x
=
( )( ) ( ) ( )
( )
( )
2
3
=
5
g x
x
f g x H x f = =

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