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Handling Piecewise Functions

on the TI-89



On the TI-89, you use the "when(" function to represent piecewise functions. An easy way to access it is by pressing catalog key, then "w".

The syntax is:

when(condition, true statement, false statement)

First, the calculator evaluates the "condition". If it is true, it executes the "true statement", and if not it executes the "false statement".

Catalog with "when("

Here is an example, taken from Example 7 on p. 18 of the Stewart text:

Stewart p 18, ex 7
a piecewise function

Here is the graph of f drawn in the window [-1, 2] by [-0.5, 5]. (Compare to Figure 19 on p. 18 of Stewart.)

The vertical line is an unfortunate consequence of the fact that the calculator automatically connects all points on a graph.

This problem is easily fixed, but keep in mind that it is your responsibility to understand that the calculator will not always draw correct graphs and to recognize that a graph is not correct.

graph 1 (connected)

The simplest fix is to tell the calculator not to "connect the dots" on the graph. To do this, press diamond F1 key to go to the "Y=" screen, then 2nd keyF1 key to pull down the "F6: Style" menu, then select "2: Dot".

Style Menu

The graph at right has been redrawn (diamond keyF3 key) in dot mode. Note that the erroneous vertical segment is no longer shown.

graph - not coneected

Sometimes the "standard" dotted graph can be difficult to see. You can make it more solid by opening the window dialog (diamond keyF2 key) and setting xres = 1. The result is shown at right.

If you want the graph really dark, you can go back to the style menu (diamond keyf1 key2nd keyf1 key) and select "3: Square".

graph - solid line

The "when(" function can be nested inside other "when(" functions to construct piecewise functions that have more than two pieces, but this can get pretty complex.

Suppose we want to represent the piecewise function from Stewart, Example 9, p, 20:

Stewart. example 9

A complication is that this function is not defined for x < 0. It can be accurately represented on the TI-89 using the following nested function:

nested when( function

The last term, "1/0", assures that the value of the function will be undefined whenever x is less than zero.

nestsed when( function

Here is the graph of the function in the window [-1, 5] by [-1, 3]. It is drawn without axes (Go to the "F1 - Tools" menu on the "Y=" screen (diamond keyf1 keyf1 key) and select "9: Format...") so that it is apparent that the domain is correct.

graph

Alternatively:

Instead of using the "When(" function, it is often possible to enter a piecewise function as a series of separate functions using the "|" operator. The function at right produces the same results as the first example.

This doesn't always seem to work well, however. Try the last example, for instance.

using "|"

last update August 24, 2007 by JL Stanbrough