Module 2 Composite Functions
Module 2 Composite Functions
(i) Composition of functions: We can build new functions out of old ones using composition:
if f and g are functions then the composite function f ◦ g is defined by the rule
Notice that the rules for f ◦ g and g ◦ f are very different. However, we have
x+3 x+3
(f ◦ h)(x) = f (h(x)) = f = 2 −3 = x+3−3 = x,
2 2
and
(2x − 3) + 3 2x
(h ◦ f )(x) = h(f (x)) = h(2x − 3) = = = x.
2 2
Thus, in fact, f ◦ h and h ◦ f are the same function, namely, the identity function that
inputs x and outputs x without any change. Functions with this property, that their
compositions in either order produce identity functions, are said to be inverses of each
other, a property that is studied in formal detail later.
(ii) Order of composition is important: We are used to the property that we can add or multiply
two numbers together in either order without making any difference. Composition of
functions, however, is an operation that is very sensitive to order.
In the example above, f ◦ g and g ◦ f produced rules which were very different. This is
typical: almost all of the time f ◦ g and g ◦ f will turn out to be different functions.
The example above where the composites f ◦h and h◦f coincide (in fact with the identity
function) is rare (though important when it happens).
1
Even the domain of definition of functions becomes sensitive to order under composition.
For example, suppose the rules for f and g are
√
f (x) = −x2 − 1 and g(x) = x ,
where the domain of f is all of R, but the domain of g is the interval [0, ∞) of nonnegative
real numbers. Then
√ √
(f ◦ g)(x) = f (g(x)) = f ( x) = −( x)2 − 1 = −x − 1 ,
is not defined for any real numbers x, since −x2 − 1 is always negative, and it is not
possible to take the square root of a negative number (working over the real number
system). The domain of f ◦ g is the interval [0, ∞), whilst the domain of g ◦ f is the
empty set ∅.