Activity Overview
Students will be able to determine the domain of rational functions, use algebraic concepts to determine the vertical asymptotes of a rational function, determine the removable discontinuities of a rational function, and describe the graph of a rational function given the equation.
Objectives
- Students will determine the domain of rational functions.
- Students will use algebraic concepts to determine the vertical asymptotes of a rational function.
- Students will determine the removable discontinuities of a rational function.
- Students will describe the graph of a rational function given the equation.
Vocabulary
- rational function
- domain
- asymptote
- factors
- zeros
- removable discontinuity
About the Lesson
This lesson involves observing how changing the values in a rational function affects the continuity of the graph of the function.
As a result, students will:
- Manipulate the factors of the numerator and denominator to observe the effects of each value.
- Explain how the values in a rational function determine the vertical asymptotes.
- Identify the conditions that must be met for a rational function to have removable discontinuity.