Increasing and Decreasing Function Intervals Practice Problems

Master identifying increasing, decreasing, and constant function intervals with step-by-step practice problems. Build confidence in analyzing function behavior.

📚What You'll Master in This Practice Session
  • Identify increasing intervals where both X and Y values rise together
  • Find decreasing intervals where X increases while Y decreases
  • Recognize constant function intervals with unchanging Y values
  • Use vertex formulas to determine parabola increasing and decreasing regions
  • Analyze graphs to locate exact interval boundaries using X-axis values
  • Apply interval notation correctly for mathematical communication

Understanding Increasing and Decreasing Intervals of a Function

Complete explanation with examples

The intervals where the function is increasing show a certain situation in which the values of X X and Y Y increase together. 

The intervals where the function is decreasing expose a certain situation in which the value of X X in a function increases while that of Y Y decreases. 

I1 - intervals with colors where the function is increasing and where it is decreasing

Detailed explanation

Practice Increasing and Decreasing Intervals of a Function

Test your knowledge with 17 quizzes

Determine the domain of the following function:

A function describing the charging of a computer battery during use.

Examples with solutions for Increasing and Decreasing Intervals of a Function

Step-by-step solutions included
Exercise #1

Is the function shown in the graph below decreasing?

yx

Step-by-Step Solution

The graph presented is a straight line. To determine whether the function is decreasing, we need to examine the slope of this line.

The line has a negative slope, as it moves downward from left to right. A function is considered decreasing when its slope is negative.

In formal terms, for a linear function expressed as y=mx+c y = mx + c , if the slope m m is negative, the function is decreasing over its entire domain.

From the graph, it's evident that the line has a negative slope, thus indicating that the function is indeed decreasing.

Therefore, the answer to the problem is Yes.

Answer:

Yes

Exercise #2

Is the function in the graph decreasing?

yx

Step-by-Step Solution

To analyze whether the function in the graph is decreasing, we must understand how the function's behavior is defined by its graph:

  • Step 1: Examine the graph. The graph presented is a horizontal line.
  • Step 2: Recognize the properties of a horizontal line. Horizontally aligned lines correspond to constant functions because the y y -value remains the same for all x x -values.
  • Step 3: Define the criteria for a function to be decreasing. A function decreases when, as x x increases, the value of f(x) f(x) decreases.
  • Step 4: Apply this criterion to the horizontal line. Since the y y -value is constant and does not decrease as x x moves rightward, the function is not decreasing.

Therefore, the function represented by the graph is not decreasing.

Answer:

No

Exercise #3

Is the function in the graph below decreasing?

yx

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine if the function is decreasing, we will analyze the graph visually:

The graph shows a line connecting from the bottom-left to the top-right of the graph area, indicating the line has a positive slope. This type of graph indicates the function is increasing, not decreasing.

A decreasing function means its value goes down as x x increases, which is equivalent to having a negative slope.

Since the graph appears with a positive slope, the function is not decreasing.

Thus, the correct choice to the problem, which asks if the function in the graph is decreasing, is No.

Answer:

No

Exercise #4

Does the function in the graph decrease throughout?

YYYXXX

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll begin by examining the graph of the function provided:

  • Step 1: Observe the graph from left to right along the x-axis.
  • Step 2: Look for any intervals where the function value (y-coordinate) does not decrease as the x-value increases.
  • Step 3: Pay special attention to segments where the graph might look horizontal or rising.

Upon inspecting the graph, we find:

- There are sections where the function's y-values appear to remain constant or potentially rise as the x-values increase. Specifically, even if the function decreases in major portions, any interval where it doesn't means the function cannot be classified as decreasing throughout.

Thus, the function does not strictly decrease on the entire interval shown. Therefore, the solution to the problem is No.

Answer:

No

Exercise #5

Is the function in the graph decreasing? yx

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Verify the graph's overall path direction
  • Step 2: Confirm if the y-values are decreasing as we proceed from the left side of the graph to the right side (increasing x-values).

Now, let's work through each step:

Step 1: By examining the graph, the red line starts at a higher point on the y-axis and moves downward to a lower point as it moves horizontally across the x-axis from left to right.

Step 2: Since for every point, the red line descends as it progresses from the leftmost point to the rightmost, this indicates a consistent decrease in the y-values.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is Yes, the function in the graph is decreasing.

Answer:

Yes

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you find increasing and decreasing intervals of a function?

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Look at the graph and identify where the function rises (increasing) or falls (decreasing) as you move from left to right. Mark the X-axis values where the function changes direction to find interval boundaries.

What does it mean when a function is increasing?

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A function is increasing when both X and Y values grow together. Visually, the graph line moves upward as you read from left to right, showing positive slope.

How do you write interval notation for increasing functions?

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Use inequality symbols like X < -3 or 0 < X < 3. For open intervals, use parentheses (a,b). For closed intervals including endpoints, use brackets [a,b].

What is the difference between increasing and decreasing intervals?

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In increasing intervals, Y values rise as X increases (graph goes up). In decreasing intervals, Y values fall as X increases (graph goes down). Constant intervals show no change in Y values.

How do you find the vertex of a parabola to determine intervals?

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Use the formula x = -b/(2a) where a and b come from f(x) = ax² + bx + c. The vertex X-coordinate divides the parabola into increasing and decreasing regions.

Can a function have multiple increasing intervals?

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Yes, functions can have several increasing and decreasing intervals. Complex functions may alternate between increasing, decreasing, and constant regions multiple times across their domain.

What happens at the boundary points between intervals?

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Boundary points are where the function changes from increasing to decreasing (or vice versa). These are often maximum or minimum points, also called critical points or turning points.

How do you identify constant function intervals?

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Constant intervals appear as horizontal lines on the graph where Y values remain the same while X values change. The function neither increases nor decreases in these regions.

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