Inverses
Finding Inverses
Example 1
Is there an inverse function for the function ? If so, graph it.
Step 1. Graph the function.
Step 2. Does it pass the horizontal line test?
Yes it does, so the inverse will be a function.
Step 3. Identify several points (x, y) on the graph of the given function.
Using the table next to the graph above, the points selected will be:
(-1, 1), (-0.5, 1.875), (0, 2), (0.5, 2.125) and (1, 3)
Step 4. Switch the x- and y-coordinates of each point to form the points (y, x) for the inverse function.
(1, -1), (1.875, -0.5), (2, 0), (2.125, 0.5) and (3, 1)
Step 5. Plot the new points and connect them with a smooth curve.