EVALUATING FUNCTIONS

INTRO
Evaluating a function means finding the value of f ( x) = ... or y = ... that corresponds to
a given value of x. To do this, simply replace all the x variables with whatever x has been
assigned. For example, if we are asked to evaluate f (4), then x has been assigned the
value of 4.
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Example: Given that f ( x ) = 3 x + 6 , find f ( 2) .
Solution: This means we will evaluate the function when x has been assigned the value
2. The first step is to replace every x with 2. Then evaluate the function by following
order of operations (BEDMAS).

f ( x) = 3x + 6

So, we have

f (2) = 3(2) + 6
= 6+6
= 12

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Example: Given the function

f ( x) = 5 x 2 2 x + 7 , evaluate f (3) .

Solution: Substitute -3 in for x and evaluate.

f (3) = 5(3) 2 2 3 + 7
= 5(9) 2 4
= 45 4
= 41
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