jmc

Question

For real numbers x, let f(x) = arraycl x+2 & if x>3, 2x+a & if x 3. array .What must the value of a be to make the piecewise function continuous (which means that its graph can be drawn without lifting your pencil from the paper)?

Accepted Answer

For the function to be continuous, both of the two expressions must have the same value when x=3. Therefore, 3+2=2(3)+a. Solving, we get that a=-1.