Problem Solving
Involving Functions
1) Give a function C that can
represent the cost of buying x
meals, if one meal costs Php 40.
Answer: C(x) = 40x
2) A user is charged P300 monthly for a
particular mobile plan, which includes 100 free
text messages. Messages in excess of 100
are charged P1 each. Represent the monthly
cost for text messaging using the function
t(m), where m is the number of messages
sent in a month.
Answer:
300 , 𝑖𝑓0 ≤ 𝑚 ≤ 100
𝑡(𝑚) = ቊ
300 + (𝑚 − 100), 𝑖𝑓𝑚 > 100
3) A jeepney ride costs Php 9.00 for the
first 4 kilometers, and each additional
kilometer adds Php 1.50 to the fare. Use
a piecewise function to represent the
jeepney fare in terms of the distance (d)
in kilometers.
Answer:
9 , 𝑖𝑓0 < 𝑑 ≤ 4
𝐹(𝑑) = ቊ
(9 + 1.5 𝑑 − 4 , 𝑖𝑓𝑑 > 4
4) A certain chocolate bar costs Php 35 per
piece. However, if you buy more than 10
pieces, they will be marked down to a price of
Php 32 per piece. Use a piecewise function to
represent the cost in terms of the number of
chocolate bars bought.
Answer:
35n , if 0 n 10
f ( n) =
32n , if n 10
5) A school’s fair committee wants to sell t-shirts for
their school fair. They found a supplier that sells t-
shirts at a price of Php 175 per piece but can
charge Php 15 000 for a bulk order of 100 shirts
and Php 125 for each excess t-shirt after that. Use
a piecewise function to represent the cost in terms
of the number of t-shirts purchased.
Answer:
175n , if 0 n 99
f (n) = 15 000 , if n = 100
15 000 + 125(n − 100) , if n 100
or
175 n , if 0 n 99
f ( n) =
15 000 + 125(n − 100 ) , if n 100
6) The fee to park in the parking lot of a shopping
mall costs Php 40 for the first two hours and an
extra Php 10 for each hour (or a fraction of it)
after that. If you park for more than twelve hours,
you instead pay a flat rate of Php 200. Represent
your parking fee using the function p(t) where t is
the number of hours you parked in the mall.
Answer:
40 , if 0 t 2
p (t ) = 40 + 10(t − 2) , if 2 t 12
200 , if t 12
