Chapter 1: Problem 18
Find the domain, range, and all zeros/intercepts, if any, of the functions. \(f(x)=\frac{1}{\sqrt{x-9}}\)
Short Answer
Expert verified
Domain is \((9, \infty)\), range is \((0, \infty)\). No zeros or intercepts.
Step by step solution
01
Identify Domain Restrictions
The function involves a square root and a division. The expression under the square root, \( x - 9 \), must be positive to avoid square root of a negative number. This means \( x - 9 > 0 \), so \( x > 9 \). Additionally, the square root must remain non-zero in the denominator to avoid division by zero. Thus, the domain of \( f \) is \( x > 9 \).
02
Determine the Domain
Based on the restrictions, the domain of the function \( f(x) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{x-9}} \) is \( (9, \infty) \), meaning that \( x \) can take any value greater than 9.
03
Find the Range
The function \( f(x) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{x-9}} \) outputs positive values only because both the numerator (1) and the square root (positive for \( x > 9 \)) in the denominator are positive. As \( x \to 9^+ \), \( f(x) \to \infty \); as \( x \to \infty \), \( f(x) \to 0^+ \). Thus, the range is \( (0, \infty) \).
04
Determine Zeros and Intercepts
A function has a zero where \( f(x) = 0 \). For \( f(x) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{x-9}} \), there is no \( x \) that makes \( f(x) = 0 \), because \( \frac{1}{\text{anything}} eq 0 \). The function also has no x-intercepts since it never touches the x-axis. The function also does not have a y-intercept, as there is no valid substitution for \( x = 0 \) within the domain.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Domain
Understanding the domain of a function is crucial because it tells us all the possible input values that the function can accept. For the function \( f(x) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{x-9}} \), we have to consider two things:
- The expression inside the square root, \( x-9 \), must be positive since the square root of a negative number is undefined in the set of real numbers.
- Additionally, because this expression is in the denominator, it cannot be zero, to avoid division by zero.
Range
The range of a function is the set of possible output values it can produce. Exploring the function \( f(x) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{x-9}} \), we notice a few characteristics:
- The output value will always be positive because the numerator is a constant positive number (1), and the square root in the denominator is always positive for \( x > 9 \).
- As \( x \) approaches 9 from the right (getting close to 9 but never equaling it), the denominator gets very small, causing \( f(x) \) to increase towards infinity.
- Conversely, as \( x \) approaches infinity, the function value \( f(x) \) approaches zero, but never actually reaches it.
Intercepts
Intercepts are the points where a function crosses the x-axis or y-axis. For the function \( f(x) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{x-9}} \), it's essential to analyze the intercepts:
- **X-intercepts:** These occur when the function output is zero. For \( f(x) \) to be zero, it would imply \( \frac{1}{something} = 0 \), which is impossible. Thus, there are no x-intercepts for this function.
- **Y-intercepts:** These happen when the function’s input \( x \) is zero. Plugging in \( x = 0 \) into \( f(x) \) results in a negative under the square root (since \( x - 9 = -9 \)), which is not allowed. Therefore, there are no y-intercepts, as x cannot be zero or any number less than 9.