Based on the description of the piecewise function and the characteristics mentioned, we can determine the equations for each segment of the piecewise function:
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For the linear segment (starting in quadrant 3 with a positive slope and ending at \((-1, -1)\)):
- Since it starts from below and ends at \((-1, -1)\), we can represent this line as \(f(x) = \frac{3}{2}x + \frac{1}{2}\) for \(x \leq -1\).
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For the quadratic segment (opening upwards from \((-1, -2)\) to \((3, 2)\)):
- The vertex form of a quadratic function that has a minimum is used here. It can be expressed as: \[ f(x) = \frac{1}{4}(x + 1)^2 - 2 \] This applies for \(-1 < x \leq 3\).
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For the quadratic segment (opening downwards from \((3, 2)\) to \((9, -4)\)):
- The vertex is at \((5, 4)\) and opens downward. The vertex form would be: \[ f(x) = -\frac{1}{2}(x - 5)^2 + 4 \] This applies for \(3 < x \leq 9\).
Combining all parts together, we can write the piecewise function as:
\[ f(x) = \begin{cases} \frac{3}{2}x + \frac{1}{2} & \text{if } x \leq -1 \ \frac{1}{4}(x + 1)^2 - 2 & \text{if } -1 < x \leq 3 \ -\frac{1}{2}(x - 5)^2 + 4 & \text{if } 3 < x \leq 9 \end{cases} \]
This confirms the final answer.