INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICAL METHODS SEMESTER ONE EXAMINATION JULY INTAKE 2017
DATE : 10th MAY, 2017
QUESTION ONE
(a) Define the following:
(i) Singleton set
(ii) Product of two sets
Answer:
(i) Singleton set: A set containing exactly one element.
(ii) Product of two sets: The set of all ordered pairs where and , denoted .
(b) Let be a universal set. List the elements of A which are:
(i) Integers
(ii) Rational numbers
(iii) Irrational numbers
Answer:
- Integers: Elements with no fractional/decimal part.
- Rational numbers: Numbers expressible as ( integers, ).
Explanation:
- , (integers are rational).
- is a fraction.
- (terminating decimal).
- Irrational numbers: Non-repeating, non-terminating decimals.
Explanation: are irrational, and reciprocals/negatives of irrationals remain irrational.
(c) Given , .
(i) Find
(ii) Show that
Answer:
(i)
(ii)
Since , .
(d) Express 0.7142 in fractional form.
Answer:
Let .
Multiply by 10000:
Explanation: Simplify by dividing numerator and denominator by 2.
(e) Find of the following.
(i)
(ii)
Answer:
(i)
This is a product of two functions:
Using the product rule:
So:
Factor out :
(ii)
This one’s a bit trickier—it’s not clear whether you meant:
- Option A:
- Option B:
Let me solve both interpretations:
Option A:
Let . Then:
Option B:
Use the quotient rule:
(i) Product Rule:
. Differentiate
This is a product of two functions:
Using the product rule:
Compute the derivatives:
Substitute into the product rule:
Factor out :
(ii) Quotient Rule: , where , .
Differentiate
This is a quotient of two functions:
Using the quotient rule:
Compute the derivatives:
Substitute into the quotient rule:
Factor out the negative sign:
Question Two
(a) Define the following:
(i) Transitive relation
(ii) Injection function
Answer:
(i) Transitive relation: If and , then .
(ii) Injection function: A function where distinct inputs map to distinct outputs ().
(b) Determine whether the relation in is reflexive, symmetric, and transitive.
Answer:
- Reflexive: Yes, since (e.g., ).
- Symmetric: No. Counterexample: (4 divisible by 2), but (2 not divisible by 4).
- Transitive: Yes. If and , then (e.g., and , but 8 not in ; consider and ).
(c) A function defined as:
(i) Domain
(ii) Range
(iii)
Answer:
(i) Domain: (all integers in ).
(ii) Range:
- For :
- :
- :
- :
- :
Range:
(iii)
(d) Classify as injection, surjection, or bijection.
Answer:
- Injection: Check if .
-
Simplify:
.
Yes, injection.
- Surjection: Check if range (codomain). As , , and
vertical asymptote at . Range is , not all . Not surjection.
- Bijection: No (since not surjection).
(e) Let , . Show .
Answer:
Compute:
Thus, .
Question Three
(a) State the following:
(i) The factor theorem
(ii) Natural exponential function
Answer:
(i) Factor theorem: If , then is a factor of polynomial .
(ii) Natural exponential function: , where .
(b) Given are roots of . Find .
Answer:
For quadratic :
(c) Polynomial is divisible by and leaves remainder when divided by . Find .
Answer:
- Divisible by :
- Remainder when divided by :
Solve system:
From (2): .
Substitute into (1):
Then .
(d) Factorise , sketch graph, and solve .
Answer:
- Factorization:
Possible roots: .
factor.
Polynomial division:
Factor quadratic: .
Thus, .
- Graph:
- Intercepts:
- -intercepts: .
- -intercept: .
- Behavior:
- As , .
- As , .
Sketch: Cubic with roots at , passing through .

- Solution to :
Sign chart:
Interval |
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when . |
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Solution set: |
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OR USE THIS BELOW
To solve the inequality
we use the factorized form:
🧮 Step-by-step Sign Analysis
Critical points (roots):
Intervals to test:
Sign of each factor in each interval:
Interval |
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✅ Final Answer
This includes the points where , namely , and the intervals where the function is negative.
(e) Differentiate from first principles:
(i)
(ii)
Answer:
First principle: .
Question Four
(a) Find exact values:
(i)
(ii)
Answer:
(i)
(ii)
(b) For , find period, amplitude, phase shift. Sketch graph.
Answer:
- Amplitude: .
- Period: .
- Phase shift: (left by ).
- Graph:
- Standard sine wave shifted left by .
- Key points: At , ; at , ; etc.

(c) Solve:
Answer:
Simplify:
- First equation: .
- Second equation: , .
Solve system:
Subtract (1) from (2):
.
From (1):
.
Check: , and .
Solution:
OR USE THIS BELOW
Let’s solve the system step by step:
✏️ Given:
1.
2.
🔍 Step 1: Solve Equation 1
So:
🔍 Step 2: Simplify Equation 2
Recall:
So:
🔁 Step 3: Substitute Equation A into B
Substitute into Equation B:
Then:
✅ Final Answer:
(d) Find domain, range, and inverse (if exists):
(i)
(ii)
Answer:
(i)
- Domain: Denominator , so . Domain: .
- Range: Solve for :
.
Inverse exists when denominator , so range is .
- Inverse: (same as original, but confirm with domain).
Note: Function is its own inverse if .
OR LETS DO THIS ONLY FOR LAZY STUDENTS LIKE YOU 😂🤣😆😹😄😜
🧭 Domain
The domain excludes values that make the denominator zero.
- Set denominator to zero:
✅ Domain:
📈 Range
To find the range, consider the horizontal asymptote and behavior of the function.
- As , the leading terms dominate:
- So, horizontal asymptote:
To confirm that is not in the range, solve:
✅ Range:
🔄 Inverse Function
Let . Solve for :
✅ Inverse:
Interestingly, the inverse is identical to the original function. So:
✅ g(x) is self-inverse
That means:
(ii)
- Domain:
- . Domain: .
- Range: , so range: .
Inverse: Solve
.
Thus, , domain .
(e) Integrate:
(i)
(ii)
Answer:
(i)
Evaluate:
(ii) Improper integral:
🧮 (i) Definite Integral:
Step 1: Integrate the expression
Step 2: Apply limits from 1 to 3
🧮 (ii) Improper Integral:
This is a standard exponential decay integral.
Step 1: Integrate
Step 2: Apply limits from 0 to ∞
✅ Final Answers:
Part |
Integral Expression |
Result |
(i) |
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(ii) |
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Question Five
(a) State the first principle of differentiation.
Answer:
The derivative of is:
(b) Prove the identities:
(i)
(ii)
Answer:
(i) Right-hand side:
Left-hand side:
Thus, LHS = RHS.
(ii) Simplify left-hand side:
Better:
Mistake. Correct:
Denominator: .
Numerator: .
Thus,
Proved.
LETS ALSO USE THIS METHOD
✅ (i) Prove:
✏️ Step 1: Expand RHS
Recall:
So:
✏️ Step 2: Expand numerator
So RHS becomes:
✏️ Step 3: Simplify LHS
Start with:
Multiply numerator and denominator by (rationalizing):
Recall:
So LHS becomes:
✅ LHS = RHS, hence:
✅ (ii) Prove:
✏️ Step 1: Use identities
Substitute into LHS:
✏️ Step 2: Simplify numerator
✏️ Step 3: Simplify denominator
✏️ Step 4: Final simplification
But this does not match the RHS unless there's a typo in the original identity.
⚠️ Possible Issue:
The original expression:
simplifies to:
not
So unless the RHS was meant to be , the identity as written is not valid.
(c) Solve for .
Answer:
Let :
Quadratic formula:
Solutions:
Thus,
rad, and rad.
.
All solutions:
Exact: .
OR LETS DO THIS GUYS
✅ Given:
Let:
Then the equation becomes:
✏️ Step 1: Solve the quadratic
Use the quadratic formula:
So:
✏️ Step 2: Solve for
Case 1:
This occurs in Quadrants I and IV:
Case 2:
This occurs in Quadrants II and III:
✅ Final Answer:
(d) Let , , . Find:
(i)
(ii)
Answer:
Composition: .
(i) :
So, .
(ii) :
So, .
(e) Integrate:
(i)
(ii)
Answer:
(i) Substitution: Let , .
(ii) Integration by parts: .
Let , , .
✅ (i)
Let’s use substitution:
Let:
So the integral becomes:
✅ Answer:
✅ (ii)
Use integration by parts:
Let:
Apply the formula:
So:
✅ Answer:
@Dr. Microbiota
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