Question

A function f is defined by the rule -0.5 1 for the domain x<1 and by the rule x for the domain x ≥ 1. Evaluate f(-2).

Answer 1

For the piecewise function given, since -2 is less than 1, the rule f(x) = -0.5 is applied to evaluate f(-2), resulting in a value of -0.5.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking how to evaluate a piecewise function f(x) at a specific value of x, which in this case is -2. Since the problem states that f is defined by the rule -0.5 for the domain x < 1, to evaluate f(-2), we simply apply the rule for the domain that includes x = -2. Since -2 is less than 1, we use the first rule and determine that f(-2) = -0.5. This does not require graphing or calculating probabilities, but simply understanding how to apply the definition of a piecewise function.