73.2k views
4 votes
What is the x intercept od this piecewise function? A) (0,2) B) (2,0) C) (0,4) D) (4,0)​

What is the x intercept od this piecewise function? A) (0,2) B) (2,0) C) (0,4) D) (4,0)​-example-1
User Mike Walsh
by
7.7k points

1 Answer

4 votes

Answer: Choice B) (2,0)

======================================

Set the first piece equal to zero and solve for x

x^2 - 4 = 0

x^2 = 4

x = sqrt(4) or x = -sqrt(4)

x = 2 or x = -2

Keep in mind that the first piece y = x^2-4 is only graphed when x = 2 or larger, so we ignore x = -2. This is one x intercept, but there may be more. Let's check the other graph to see what we get.

----------

Set the second piece equal to zero and solve for x

x-2 = 0

x-2+2 = 0+2

x = 2

We get the same result as above in the prior section. Because of this, the two pieces connect at this junction point.

The x intercept x = 2 leads to the location (2,0). The x intercept always occurs when y = 0.

The graph below shows this.

side note: the red piece y = x^2 - 4 looks linear, but it's actually not a straight line. It's just a really stretched out curve.

What is the x intercept od this piecewise function? A) (0,2) B) (2,0) C) (0,4) D) (4,0)​-example-1
User Jzwiener
by
8.4k points

No related questions found

Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.

9.4m questions

12.2m answers

Categories