Piecewise Functions

This interactive will allow you to enter a piecewise function and view its graph. While normally pieces are not allowed to overlap, this interactive allows them to overlap so you can make drawings.

To use:

• Choose a number of pieces you want.
• For each piece, type in the formula for that piece in the first textbox. You can make sure your formula has been parsed correctly by looking at the prettified version of the piecewise expression below the entry boxes.
• Choose from the dropdown box what type of equality/inequality you want to define your piece.
• Then choose the lower and upper bounds (as appropriate) for each piece.
• You also have the option of choosing a color for each piece.

Examples: Abs(x) Face Random

Plug-in-visualizer: Show Visualizer x:

Number of Pieces: Clear Inputs

Show Grid
Show Axis
Label Axis
Show Graph
Permalink:
Embed [copy the text that follows into the 'HTML editor']:
Update URL
Show Guessing Game Target Linear Pieces Linear and Quadratic Pieces Linear, Quadratic, and Square Roots Randomize Show Answer

Suggestions for Use

Once you're comfortable with piecewise notation, try the following exercises:

• Check "Show Guessing Game Target" above to make a new piecewise function appear in the graph window. Try to enter a piecewise function whose graph matches the one that appears.
• Or, uncheck the "Show Graph" checkbox above and press the "Random" button to generate a random example graph try to guess what the graph will look like, and recheck "Show Graph" to check your answer.
• Or, try to draw a picture using various pieces of graphs, as in the "Face" example. You can save and share your work with the permalink generated above.