Math 122 Midterm 1 Solutions

Problem 1. (20 points) Consider the function f (x) = x2 + 2 and the function
g(x) = x + h, where h is a small constant number.
(A) Find and simplify the function f (g(x)).
Solution:. We obtain the answer by replacing x with x + h each time it appears
in
f (x) = x2 + 2.
Thus we have
f (g(x)) = (x + h)2 + 2,
which simplifies to
f (g(x)) = x2 + 2xh + h2 + 2.

(B) Simplify f (g(x)) − f (x).

Solution:. By the previous part,
f (g(x)) − f (x) = (x2 + 2xh + h2 + 2) − (x2 + 2)
= x2 + 2xh + h2 + 2 − x2 − 2
= 2xh + h2 .

Problem 2. (10 points) Consider the function f (x) = x2 + 2. What is the average
change from x = 1 to x = 3?
Solution:. First we compute that
f (1) = 12 + 2 = 3
and
f (3) = 32 + 2 = 11.
Then by definition, the average change is given by
f (3) − f (1) 11 − 3
= = 4.
3−1 2

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 Problem 3. (20 points) Here are 3 functions:

(A) One of these functions is linear. Determine which one, and write a formula for it.
Solution:. First, note that f (x) increases and then decreases, so it cannot be
linear (or exponential for that matter). Second, while g(x) is always increasing, it
does so more and more quickly, so cannot be linear. Finally, by inspection, h(x)
decreases by 3 each time x increases by 1, so it looks like a linear function with
slope m = −3. From the table we can see that h(0) = 31, which is the y-intercept.
The equation for h(x) is thus
h(x) = −3x + 31.

(B) Another one of these functions is exponential. Determine which one, and write a
formula for it.
Solution:. By elimination (see answer to part A), the only possibly exponential function
is g(x). By taking the successive ratios we can see that g(x) increases by multiplication
with 3/2 each time x increases by 1. Thus the growth rate of g(x) is 3/2. Since g(0) = 36,
the y-intercept is 36. Together, these show that g(x) must have the equation
g(x) = 36( 32 )x .

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 Problem 4. (10 points) Consider a balloon that is being inflated. Suppose that the
radius r of the balloon is given as a function of time t by r(t) = 2t + 1. Furthermore, the
volume V of the balloon is given as a function of the radius by V (r) = 4π 3
r3 . Write the
volume of the balloon as a function of time. (There is no need to simplify your answer
once you’ve found it.)
Solution:. Replacing each instance of r in 4π 3
r3 with 2t + 1, we find that
4π
V (t) = (2t + 1)3 .
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It is not necessary to simplify further, but if you would like to:
4π
V (t) = (2t + 1)3
3
4π
= (2t + 1)(4t2 + 4t + 1)
3
4π 3
= (8t + 12t2 + 6t + 1).
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Problem 5. (10 points) One way to measure the performance of computers is in

FLOPS (FLoating-point Operations Per Second). The cost of 1 FLOP is given by the
function P (t) = 8300e−.53t , where t is years since 1961. How long does it take for the cost
of a FLOP to halve? (A correct answer will have a logarithm. There is no need to write
the answer in decimal form.)
Solution:. We need to determine the value of t so that P (t) is half as large as P (0) =
8300. This means we need to solve the equation
8300
8300e−.53t =
2
for t. Dividing both sides by 8300, we have
1
e−.53t = .
2
Taking the logarithm of both sides,
ln(e−.53t ) = ln( 21 ),
which simplifies by logarithm rules to
−.53t = ln( 12 ).
So
− ln( 12 ) ln(2)
t= = .
.53 .53

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Problem 6. (8 points) Solve for x:
(A) 3x = 2 · e2x
Solution:. Since we need to solve for x, but it appears as an exponent, we should
take the logarithm of both sides. Thus,
ln(3x ) = ln(2 · e2x )
x ln(3) = ln(2) + ln(e2x )
(Caution! In the term ln(2 · e2x ) we can’t just pull down the exponent, because it
is not 2e that is raised to the power of 2x, but only e.) We continue simplifying :
x ln(3) = ln(2) + 2x ln(e)
x ln(3) − 2x ln(e) = ln(2)
x(ln(3) − 2 ln(e)) = ln(2)
ln(2)
x=
ln(3) − 2 ln(e)

(B) ln(x2 ) = 4
Solution:. In this case, we want to undo the logarithm, so we apply the function
ex to both sides of the equation.
2
eln(x ) = e4
x2 = e 4
x = ±e2

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 Problem 7. (10 points) Consider the function f (x) with the following graph:

On each of the following axes, draw the graph of the function indicated.

y = 2f (x) y = −f (x) + 1

Problem 8. (12 points) Suppose that a function f (x) has the following graph:

(A) Circle the formula that could represent f (x):

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y = ex y = x3 y = ln(x) y = x3
Solution:. The function ex is always positive, which ours is not. The function
ln(x) is only defined for positive values of x, while ours appears to be defined for
all x. The function x3 is concave up for positive values of x, while ours is concave
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down. This leaves x 3 as the only posibility.
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(B) Is f (x) increasing or decreasing from 0 to 3?
Solution:. It is increasing from 0 to 3.
(C) Is f (x) concave up or concave down from 0 to 3?
Solution:. It is concave down from 0 to 3.