We discuss what makes a rational function, and why they are useful.
Rational Functions A rational function is a ratio of functions. Specifically it is a fraction with a non-constant function in the
denominator.
Technically a rational function can be a ratio of any function types, but most often we study the ratio of polynomials specifically. There are a number of reasons for this, but it is important to note that in calculus one studies ratios of all kinds of functions, not just polynomials. For this reason, although we will largely restrict our examples to ratios of polynomials, one should keep in mind the application of our work to ratios of other kinds of functions as well.