Which point should have an open circle in the graph of the piecewise function

f(x)= {-x-1 if x<1}
{-x+2 if x>=1}
(-1,1)
(1,-2)
(-1,-2)
(1,1)

1 answer

In the given piecewise function:

\[ f(x) = \begin{cases} -x - 1 & \text{if } x < 1 \ -x + 2 & \text{if } x \geq 1 \end{cases} \]

We need to analyze the points given, particularly how they relate to the transition at \( x = 1 \).

  1. For \( x < 1 \), the function is defined as \( f(x) = -x - 1 \).

    • At \( x = -1 \): \[ f(-1) = -(-1) - 1 = 0 - 1 = -1 \] This point is \((-1, -1)\), but it does not give a direct implication for an open circle.
  2. For \( x \geq 1 \), the function is \( f(x) = -x + 2 \).

    • At \( x = 1 \): \[ f(1) = -1 + 2 = 1 \] This means we have point \( (1, 1) \) for \( x = 1 \).

Now let's check the points you've listed:

  • \( (-1, 1) \) is not corresponding to any of the calculated values.
  • \( (1, -2) \): This point does not match since \( f(1) = 1 \).
  • \( (-1, -2) \): This point is unrelated since it's not a calculated value of the function.
  • \( (1, 1) \): This point matches with the calculation \( f(1) = 1 \).

To summarize: at \( x = 1 \), \( f(x) = 1\) is included in the second piece of the piecewise function \( (-x + 2) \) since it specifies \( x \geq 1\).

However, at \( x = 1 \), we have a transition from the first function segment where \( f(1) \) would be calculated as \(-1 - 1 = -2\), but since \( f(1) \) is defined in the second segment, we denote this as having an open circle at \( (1, -2) \).

Therefore, the point that should have an open circle is:

(1, -2)