What Is the Greatest Integer Function?

Quick Overview
• The Greatest Integer Function is also known as the Floor Function.

• It is written as f (x) = bxc.

• The value of bxc is the largest integer that is less than or equal to x.

Definition
The Greatest Integer Function is defined as

bxc = the largest integer that is less than or equal to x.

In mathematical notation we would write this as

bxc = max{m ∈ Z|m ≤ x}

The notation “m ∈ Z” means “m is an integer”.

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Example 1—Basic Calculations
Evaluate the following.

a. b2.7c b. b−1.4c c. b8c

Solution
a. If we examine a number line with the integers and 2.7 plotted on it, we see

0 1 2 2.7 3
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The largest integer that is less than 2.7 is 2. So b2.7c = 2.

b. If we examine a number line with the integers and −1.3 plotted on it, we see

-3 -2 -1.3 -1 0
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Since the largest integer that is less than −1.3 is −2, so b−1.3c = −2.

c. Since bxc = the largest integer that is less than or equal to x, we know b8c = 8.

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 Graphing the Greatest Integer Function

To understand the behavior of this function, in terms of a graph, let’s construct a table of
values.

TABLE

x bxc
−1.5 −2
−1.25 −2
−1 −1
−0.75 −1
−0.5 −1
−0.25 −1
0 0
0.25 0
0.5 0
0.75 0
1 1
1.25 1
1.5 1
The table shows us that the function increases to the next highest integer any time the x-value
becomes an integer. This results in the following graph.

Answer:
y
4

1
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x
-4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4
-1

-2

-3

-4

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Example 2
1 
Sketch a graph of y = 2x .

Solution
We know what the basic graph should look like, so we just need to understand how the factor
of 21 is going to affect things. We can do this in two ways: we can make a table of values, or we
can interpret this as a transformation.

TABLE

1
1 
x 2x 2x

−2 −1.5 −2
−1.5 −0.75 −1
−1 −0.5 −1
−0.5 −0.25 −1
0 0 0
0.5 0.25 0
1 0.5 0
1.5 0.75 0
2 1 1

We notice from the table that the function values jump to the next value when x is even.

TRANSFORMATION
We can interpret y = 12 x as a horizontal stretch which doubles the length of each piece.
 

Answer:
y
2

1
x
-4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4
-1

-2
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Solving Equations
There is a formula that can help us when working with equations that involve the floor function.

bxc = m if and only if m ≤ x < m + 1

(remember, m is an integer!)

So, for example, bxc = 8 if and only if 8 ≤ x < 9.

Example 3
Solve the equation b2x + 5c = 9.

Solution
Step 1) Rewrite the equation using the inequality.

9 ≤ 2x + 5 < 10

Step 2) Solve the inequality.

9 ≤ 2x + 5 < 10
9 − 5 ≤ 2x < 10 − 5
4 ≤ 2x < 5
4 5
≤x<
2 2
2 ≤ x < 2.5

Answer: In interval notation, the equation is true for x ∈ [2, 2.5).

Example 4
Solve the equation b1.25 + bxcc = 12.

Solution
Step 1) Replace bxc with u. This is called a “change of variable” and it will make the equation
easier to work with.

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 b1.25 + bxcc = 12

b1.25 + uc = 12

Step 2) Replace the equation with one of the inequalities, where m = 12.

12 ≤ 1.25 + u < 13

Step 3) Solve the inequality.

12 ≤ 1.25 + u < 13

10.75 ≤ u < 11.75

10.75 ≤ bxc < 11.75

Since bxc is an integer, the only way to satisfy the above inequalities is for bxc = 11.

Step 4) Determine the value of x.

Again, using the inequalities, we know

11 ≤ x < 12

Answer: 11 ≤ x < 12.

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 Questions
Question 1
Evaluate the following.
(a) b12.5c (b) b−6.7c (c) b−50c

Question 2
Evaluate the following.
√
(b) 23
 
(a) bπc 19 (c) b 2c

Question 3
Sketch a graph of y = b2xc.

Question 4
Sketch a graph of y = b1.5xc.

Question 5
Sketch a graph of y = b−0.25xc.

Question 6
Sketch a graph of y = 2bxc.

Question 7
Sketch a graph of y = bx + 3c.

Question 8
Sketch a graph of y = −0.75b2 − xc.

Question 9
1
Sketch a graph of y = x .

Question 10
1
Sketch a graph of y = bxc .

Question 11
Sketch a graph of y = bx2 c.

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Question 12
Sketch a graph of y = bxc2 .

Question 13
Sketch a graph of y = x − bxc.

Question 14
Solve b5.4 − b1.3xcc = 17.

Question 15
Solve b3.2 + b2.5x − 7.9cc = −5

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Answers
Question 1 Solution
(a) Examining the number line near 12 we see that b12.5c = 12

10 11 12 12.5 13 14
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(b) Examining the number line near -6.7 we see that b−6.7c = −7

-9 -8 -7 -6.7 -6 -5
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(c) Since 50 is an integer, we know b50c = 50.

Question 2 Solution
(a) Using a calculator, we can determine that π is approximately 3.14. Examining the number
line near this point we see that bπc = 3.

1 2 3π 4 5

23
(b) Using a calculator, we can determine that 19 is approximately 1.21. Examining the number
line near this point we see that 23

19 = 1.

-1 0 1 23 2 3
19

√
(c) Using a calculator, we can√
determine
 that 2 is approximately 1.41. Examining the number
line near this point we see that 2 = 1.

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 x
√
-1 0 1 2 2 3

Question 3 Solution
As in the previous example, we can go about this by constructing a table, or interpreting the
function in terms of transformations. This solution will do both.

TABLE

x 2x b2xc
−0.75 −1.5 −2
−0.5 −1 −1
−0.25 −0.5 −1
0 0 0
0.25 0.5 0
0.5 1 1
0.75 1.5 1
1 2 2
1.25 2.5 2
In this case, we see that every time x is a multiple of 0.5 the function jumps to the next higher
integer.

TRANSFORMATION
We can interpret y = b2xc as a horizontal compression by a factor of 2. That is, each of the
x-values from y = bxc gets cut in half, but the y-values stay the same.

Answer:

© http://www.mathwarehouse.com
 y
6

1
x
-4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4
-1

www.mathwarehouse.com
-2

-3

-4

-5

-6

Question 4 Solution
We will examine this function using both a table, and then as a transformation of functions.
TABLE

x 1.5x b1.5xc
−1 −1.5 −2
−2/3 −1 −1
−1/3 −0.5 −1
0 0 0
1/3 0.5 0
2/3 1 1
1 1.5 1
4/3 2 2
5/3 2.5 2
2 3 3
The table shows that the function increases every multiple of 2/3.

TRANSFORMATION
Since the variable x is being multiplied by 1.5, we know that the graph of y = bxc is being
compressed horizontally.

Answer:

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 y
3

1
x
-2 -1 1 2 3
-1

-2

-3
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Question 5 Solution
We will examine this function using both a table, and then as a transformation of functions.
TABLE

x −0.25x b−0.25xc
−4 1 1
−3 0.75 0
−2 0.5 0
−1 0.25 0
0 0 0
1 −0.25 −1
2 −0.5 −1
3 −0.75 −1
4 −1 −1
The table shows that the function increases every multiple of 4.

TRANSFORMATION
Since the variable x is being multiplied by 0.25, we know the function is being horizontally
stretched by a factor of 4. Since the coefficient is negative, the function is also being reflected
about the y-axis.

Answer:

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 y
2

1
x
-8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
-1

-2
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Question 6 Solution
We will examine this function using both a table, and then as a transformation of functions.
TABLE

x bxc 2bxc
−1.5 −2 −4
−1 −1 −2
−0.5 −1 −2
0 0 0
0.5 0 0
1 1 2
1.5 1 2
2 2 4
The table shows that the function increases by 2 every time x increases by 1.

TRANSFORMATIONS
The function has a vertical stretch by 2.

Answer:
y
4

1
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x
-2 -1 1 2 3
-1

-2

-3

-4

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Question 7 Solution
We will examine this function using both a table, and then as a transformation of functions.
TABLE

x x+3 bx + 3c
−4 −1 −1
−3.5 −0.5 −1
−3 0 0
−2.5 −0.5 0
−2 1 1
−1.5 1.5 1
−1 2 2
−0.5 2.5 2
0 3 3
0.5 3.5 3
1 4 4
The table shows us that the function increases each time x is an integer.

TRANSFORMATIONS
The function y = bx + 3c is a shift to the left by 3 units of the function y = bxc.

Answer:
y
4

3
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x
-4 -3 -2 -1 1 2
-1

Question 8 Solution
We will examine this function using both a table, and then as a transformation of functions.
TABLE

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 x 2−x b2 − xc −0.75b2 − xc
−2.5 4.5 4 3
−2 4 4 3
−1.5 3.5 3 2.25
−1 3 3 2.25
−0.5 2.5 2 1.5
0 2 2 1.5
0.5 1.5 1 0.75
1 1 1 0.75
1.5 0.5 0 0
2 0 0 0
2.5 −0.5 −1 −0.75
The table shows that the function changes value just after x is an integer. Each time the
function changes value it decreases by 0.75.

TRANSFORMATIONS
The function y = −0.75b2 − xc consists of four different transformations.
1) A vertical reflection (over the x-axis).
2) A horizontal reflection (over the y-axis).
3) A vertical compression of 0.75.
4) A horizontal shift by 2 units to the right.

Answer:
y
4

3
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1
x
-4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4
-1

-2

Question 9 Solution
Since the reciprocal function y = x1 is not a standard transformation, we will just use a table
to understand the behavior of this function.
TABLE

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 x 1/x b1/xc
−4 −1/4 −1
−3 −1/3 −1
−2 −1/2 −1
−1 −1 −1
−1/2 −2 −2
−1/3 −3 −3
−1/4 −4 −4
0 undefined −
1/4 4 4
1/3 3 3
1/2 2 2
1 1 1
2 1/2 0
3 1/3 0
4 1/4 0

Answer:
y
4

www.mathwarehouse.com
x
-2 -1 1 2
-1

-2

-3

-4

Question 10 Solution
Since the reciprocal function y = x1 is not a standard transformation, we will just use a table
to understand the behavior of this function.
TABLE

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 1
x bxc bxc
−4 −4 −1/4
−3 −3 −1/3
−2 −2 −1/2
−1 −1 −1
0 0 undefined
1 1 1
2 2 1/2
3 3 1/3
4 4 1/4

Answer:
y

1/2

www.mathwarehouse.com
1/4
x
-4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5
-1/2

-1

Question 11 Solution
We’ll examine the behavior of this function by constructing a table of values.
TABLE

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 x x2 bx2 c
−2
√ 4 4
−√ 3 3 3
− 2 2 2
−1 1 1
−0.5 0.25 0
0 0 0
0.5 0.25 0
√1 1 1
√2 2 2
3 3 3
2 4 4

Answer:
y

www.mathwarehouse.com

x
-2 -1 1 2

-1

Question 12 Solution
We’ll examine the behavior of this function by constructing a table of values.
TABLE

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 x bxc bxc2
−3 −3 9
−2.5 −3 9
−2 −2 4
−1.5 −2 4
−1 −1 1
−0.5 −1 1
0 0 0
0.5 0 0
1 1 1
1.5 1 1
2 2 4
2.5 2 4
3 3 9

Answer:
y
9

5
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1
x
-3 -2 -1 1 2 3

Question 13
Let’s build a table of values to understand this function.
TABLE

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 x xbxc x − bxc
−1 −1 0
−0.8 −1 0.2
−0.6 −1 0.4
−0.4 −1 0.6
−0.2 −1 0.8
0 0 0
0.2 0 0.2
0.4 0 0.4
0.6 0 0.6
0.8 0 0.8
1 1 0
1.2 1 0.2
1.4 1 0.4

Each time x is an integer, the function resets to 0. Then it slowly increases towards 1.

Answer:
y
1
x
-4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4
-1
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NOTE: This function is an example of a sawtooth wave. It is called this because, if we connect
the points that are vertically aligned (see below) the graph resembles the teeth of a saw. Sawtooth
waves play an important role in music and in representations of various wave forms in electronics
and engineering.
y
1
x
-4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4
-1
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Question 14 Solution
Step 1) Make a change of variable so the equation is easier to work with. Specifically, let u = b1.3xc.

© http://www.mathwarehouse.com
 b5.4 − b1.3xcc = 17
b5.4 − uc = 17

Step 2) Replace the equation with one of the inequalities discussed above. Then solve for u.

17 ≤ 5.4 − u < 18
17 − 5.4 ≤ −u < 18 − 5.4
11.6 ≤ −u < 12.6
−11.6 ≥ u > −12.6

Since u must be an integer, we know that u = −12.

Step 3) Replace u in the equation.

u = −12
b1.3xc = −12

Step 3) Replace the equation with one of the inequalities, then solve.

−12 ≤ 1.3x < −11

12 11
− ≤x<−
1.3 1.3
120 110
− ≤x<−
13 13
−9.2307 ≤ x < −8.4615

Answer: In interval notation, x ∈ − 120 110



13 , − 13 .

Question 15
Step 1) Make a change of variable so the equation is easier to work with. Specifically, let
u = b2.5x − 7.9c.

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 b3.2 + b2.5x − 7.9cc = −5
b3.2 + uc = −5

Step 2) Replace the equation with one of the inequalities, and solve for u.

−5 ≤ 3.2 + u < −4
−5 − 3.2 ≤ u < −4 − 3.2
−8.2 ≤ u < −7.2

Since u has to be an integer, we know u = −8.

Step 3) Substitute the value of u back into the equation.

u = −8
b2.5x − 7.9c = −8

Step 4) Replace the equation with one of the inequalities and solve for x.

−8 ≤ 2.5x − 7.9 < −7

−8 + 7.9 ≤ 2.5x < −7 + 7.9
−0.1 ≤ 2.5x < 0.9
0.1 0.9
− ≤x<
2.5 2.5
1 9
− ≤x<
25 25
−0.04 ≤ x < 0.36

Answer: In interval notation, x ∈ [−0.04, 0.36].

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Next Lesson:
Previous Lesson: How to Use the Quotient Rule

Author: HT Goodwill
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