You may be asked to "determine algebraically" whether a function is even or odd. To do this, you take the function and plug –x in for x, and then simplify. If you end up with the exact same function that you started with (that is, if f (–x) = f (x), so all of the signs are the same), then the function is even. If you end up with the exact opposite of what you started with (that is, if f (–x) = –f (x), so all of the signs are switched), then the function is odd.
In all other cases, the function is "neither even nor odd".
