The range is the set of all possible outputs (”yy“-values) of a function.

We denote the range of a function ff by RfR_f.

Graphs are especially useful to determine the range of a function.
End points, turning points and asymptotes are important in determining the range.

Examples

Use the following to generate functions and observe how their range can be determined from the graph.

0
x{x}
y{y}
(2,5){\left(2 , -5 \right)}
f:xx2+4x9for xR,x2.{f: x \mapsto - x^2 + 4 x - 9} \allowbreak \quad \allowbreak {\textrm{for } x \in \mathbb{R}, x \leq 2.}
Df=(,2].Rf=(,5].\begin{aligned} D_f &= \left(-\infty, 2\right]. \\ R_f &= \left(-\infty, -5 \right]. \end{aligned}
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