2:54, How did he get -2?

First we try to solve for f(-5). We know that y = f(x). If y = f(x), then by asking what is the value of f(-5), we mean what will be the value of y if we take x as -5. from the blue color graph we know that when x = -5, y = -2, Therefore we can say that if f(x) = y then f(-5) = -2. Hope that helps!

sorry, but how did he pick where the -2 point would match up on the graph? Looking back, couldn't 4 have had the same chance??

You probably don't need this now but someone else might so. I'm assuming this from when he solved f(-5). To get this answer, you use the blue graph which is representing the values of f(x), You get -5 on the x-axis and trace it down to where the blue curve intersects the line you traced down When you trace the intersection point to the y-axis, you get -2 which is Sal's answer

At 2:35, how do we get that g(-2) is equal to one?

When you look at the parabola for g(x), and find the point on that parabola where x = -2, you find that y = 1. So, g(-2) = 1

Okay, so all this composite function things are very neat, but in the mathematical world, where would this come to use?

In some lesson, before, there was a farming example. It takes crop yield and finds the total profit. Go look at that and think about it.

where did you get -5? for f(x)

He just picked that number randomly for the problem. Any number that could be graphed on the line y=f(x) would have worked just as well.

given f(x)=-x+6 and g(x)=f(x+3), how to write an equation for function g?

What does f(x+3) mean? well if instead you were doing say f(3), how would that look? well f(3) means plug in 3 for wherever there's an x in -x+6. so f(3) = -(3)+6 = 3. So f(x+3) means plug x+3 in for x. so f(x+3) = -(x+3)+6 = -x - 3 + 6 = -x+3. So that means g(x) = f(x+3) = -x + 3. I hope this helped.

All right, so, we have so far discussed 2 composite functions together, is it possible _that_ we have *multiple composite functions together*?

Yeah, composite functions can be made up of any number of functions.

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Evaluating composite functions: using graphs

Name: Evaluating composite functions: using graphs
Uploaded: 2016-02-15T12:58:39Z
Description: Given the graphs of the functions f and g, Sal evaluates g(f(-5)).

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Given the graphs of the functions f and g, Sal evaluates g(f(-5)).

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Jessica
Posted 7 years ago. Direct link to Jessica's post “2:54, How did he get -2?”
2:54
, How did he get -2?
Button navigates to signup pageComment on Jessica's post “2:54, How did he get -2?”
(11 votes)
Answer
- Taniya
  Posted 7 years ago. Direct link to Taniya's post “First we try to solve for...”
  First we try to solve for f(-5).
  We know that y = f(x).
  If y = f(x), then by asking what is the value of f(-5), we mean what will be the value of y if we take x as -5.
  from the blue color graph we know that when x = -5, y = -2, Therefore we can say that if f(x) = y then f(-5) = -2.
  Hope that helps!
  Button navigates to signup page
  (24 votes)
Samuel Lee
Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to Samuel Lee's post “Isn't there another way t...”
Isn't there another way to write g(f(-5))?
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(6 votes)
Answer
- Toluwalase Adetosoye
  Posted 4 months ago. Direct link to Toluwalase Adetosoye's post “(g ∘ f)(-5)”
  (g ∘ f)(-5)
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  (1 vote)
Vivienne_Li
Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to Vivienne_Li's post “sorry, but how did he pic...”
sorry, but how did he pick where the -2 point would match up on the graph? Looking back, couldn't 4 have had the same chance??
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(7 votes)
Answer
- Ini
  Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to Ini's post “You probably don't need t...”
  You probably don't need this now but someone else might so.
  I'm assuming this from when he solved f(-5).
  To get this answer, you use the blue graph which is representing the values of f(x),
  You get -5 on the x-axis and trace it down to where the blue curve intersects the line you traced down
  When you trace the intersection point to the y-axis, you get -2 which is Sal's answer
  Button navigates to signup page
  (2 votes)
Prisha Rai
Posted 4 years ago. Direct link to Prisha Rai's post “At 2:35, how do we get th...”
At
2:35
, how do we get that g(-2) is equal to one?
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(2 votes)
Answer
- Russell
  Posted 4 years ago. Direct link to Russell's post “When you look at the para...”
  When you look at the parabola for g(x), and find the point on that parabola where x = -2, you find that y = 1. So, g(-2) = 1
  Comment on Russell's post “When you look at the para...”
  (5 votes)
JM K
Posted 7 years ago. Direct link to JM K's post “Okay, so all this composi...”
Okay, so all this composite function things are very neat, but in the mathematical world, where would this come to use?
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(2 votes)
Answer
- Ryan Thammakhoune
  Posted 7 years ago. Direct link to Ryan Thammakhoune's post “In some lesson, before, t...”
  In some lesson, before, there was a farming example. It takes crop yield and finds the total profit. Go look at that and think about it.
  Comment on Ryan Thammakhoune's post “In some lesson, before, t...”
  (5 votes)
Aryleen Garcia
Posted 5 years ago. Direct link to Aryleen Garcia's post “where did you get -5? for...”
where did you get -5? for f(x)
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(2 votes)
Answer
- birdybella
  Posted 5 years ago. Direct link to birdybella's post “He just picked that numbe...”
  He just picked that number randomly for the problem. Any number that could be graphed on the line y=f(x) would have worked just as well.
  Button navigates to signup page
  (3 votes)
jake jin
Posted 4 years ago. Direct link to jake jin's post “given f(x)=-x+6 and g(x)=...”
given f(x)=-x+6 and g(x)=f(x+3), how to write an equation for function g?
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(2 votes)
Answer
- loumast17
  Posted 4 years ago. Direct link to loumast17's post “What does f(x+3) mean? w...”
  What does f(x+3) mean? well if instead you were doing say f(3), how would that look? well f(3) means plug in 3 for wherever there's an x in -x+6. so f(3) = -(3)+6 = 3.
  
  So f(x+3) means plug x+3 in for x. so f(x+3) = -(x+3)+6 = -x - 3 + 6 = -x+3. So that means g(x) = f(x+3) = -x + 3. I hope this helped.
  Button navigates to signup page
  (2 votes)
Diana C
Posted 4 years ago. Direct link to Diana C's post “What if we do (f+g)(4). H...”
What if we do (f+g)(4). How do we find that using only the graph?
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(2 votes)
Answer
- CCDM
  Posted 3 years ago. Direct link to CCDM's post “Well, I believe you are a...”
  Well, I believe you are asking for f(g(4))...If so, you would look up g(4) from graph and find -2. Then look up f(-2) from graph and see that it is 4 and there you go. Hope this is useful to you...
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  (1 vote)
Kayla
Posted 4 years ago. Direct link to Kayla's post “How could I apply this to...”
How could I apply this to a real life scenario?
Button navigates to signup pageComment on Kayla's post “How could I apply this to...”
(2 votes)
Answer
- CCDM
  Posted 3 years ago. Direct link to CCDM's post “Well, lets say you had on...”
  Well, lets say you had one curve which was the cost per item c(x) of producing an agriculturally based product as a function of quantity produced, x. This curve would have a negative slope because generally it costs less per item as you make more of them (efficiency). However, lets say that the quantity produced was also a function of rainfall where say too little and too much rainfall produced low quantities and the curve x(r) was more parabolic shaped at least for a limited domain. You could plug in x(r) for x in c(x) and find the cost per item as a function of rainfall. This is just one example, there are many more...
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  (1 vote)
lemonomadic
Posted 3 years ago. Direct link to lemonomadic's post “All right, so, we have so...”
All right, so, we have so far discussed 2 composite functions together, is it possible that we have multiple composite functions together?
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(1 vote)
Answer
- obiwan kenobi
  Posted 3 years ago. Direct link to obiwan kenobi's post “Yeah, composite functions...”
  Yeah, composite functions can be made up of any number of functions.
  Comment on obiwan kenobi's post “Yeah, composite functions...”
  (2 votes)

Video transcript

- So we have the graphs of two functions here. We have the graph y equals f of x and we have the graph y is equal to g of x. And what I wanna do in this video is evaluate what g of, f of, let me do the f of it another color, f of negative five is, f of negative five is. And it can sometimes seem a little daunting when you see these composite functions. You're evaluating the function g at f of negative five. What does all this mean? We just have to remind ourselves what functions are all about. They take an input and they give you an output. So really, what we're doing is we're going to take, we have the function f. We have the function f. We're going to input negative five into that function. We're going to input negative five into that function and it's going to output f of negative five. It's going to output f of negative five and we can figure what that is. And then that's going to be the input into the function g. So that's going to be the input into the function g and so we're going to, and then the output is going to be g of f of negative five, g of f of negative five. Let's just do it step by step. So the first thing we wanna figure out is what is the function f when x is equal to negative five? What is f of negative five? Well we just have to see when x is equal to negative five. When x is equal to negative five, the function is right over here. Let's see, let me see if I can draw a straight line. So then x is equal to negative five. The function is right over here. It looks like f of negative five is equal to negative two. It's equal to negative two. You see that right over there. So, f of negative five is negative two. And so we can now think of this instead of saying g of f of negative five, we could say well f of negative five is just negative two, is just negative two. So this is going to be equivalent to g of negative two, g of negative two, g of negative two. We're gonna take negative two into g and we're gonna output g of negative two. So we're taking that output, negative two and we're inputting into g. So when x is negative two, when x is negative two, what is g? So we see, when x is negative two, g, the graph is right over there, g of negative two is one. So this is going to be one. So g of f of negative five sounds really complicated, we were able to figure out is one 'cause you input negative five into f, it outputs negative two. And then you input negative two into g, it outputs one and we're all done.

Precalculus

Course: Precalculus > Unit 1

Evaluating composite functions: using graphs

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Video transcript