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A piecewise function is a function which is defined by different rules depending on the value of the independent variable. The following piecewise function is graphed below: y = for x≤ 0, y = x for 0 < x < 2, and y = 2 for x≥2.

Figure %: A piecewise function is governed by different rules depending on the value of the independent variable.

A periodic function is a function with the following characteristic: f (x) = f (x + c), for all values of x, where c is some constant. This means that the values of f repeat themselves in a regular cycle. The most common periodic functions are the trigonometric functions, but others exist as well.

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