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MathTrackX: Polynomials, Functions and Graphs

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Course / Section 4: Functions and graphs / Graphs of functions

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Transforming functions
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 DAVID BUTLER
You have learnt about several different functions and discovered how to draw their graphs without
plotting single points one at a time. You can extend this skill further by knowing how changes in the
function’s formula correspond to changes in the graph.
You are going to investigate several changes to a function’s formula using interactive graphs, and
describe what those changes do to the graph.
This is your original function. Its formula is pretty complicated, so I am just going to say the graph is
.

Negating on the outside

This picture shows both and . Think about how these two graphs are similar
and different.
The graph of is the same shape as , but reflected across the -axis. This is
because you are negating all the outputs after they are calculated, making all the negative values
positive and vice versa. This happens for all functions where you multiply the formula by .

Multiplying on the outside

This interactive graph shows and . Move the slider to change the value of .
Look at how the graphs are related to each other and to the value of .

Multiplying by a positive with makes the graph stretch upwards away from the -axis.
Multiplying by a positive with makes the graph shrink downwards towards the -axis.
The reason why this happens is that after calculating the -value every time, we multiply by the value
of , which changes the -value to be higher or lower depending on . This is true of any function
when you multiply its formula by a constant.
This interactive graph shows and . Change the value of . Look at what
happens to the graph.

Adding makes the graph move upwards by , and if is negative then then the graph moves down.
This is because after we’ve calculated the -value, we add every time to the result, so all the -
values are higher (or lower if is negative). This is true of any function when you add a constant to
its formula.

Negating on the inside

This picture shows both and . Think about how these two graphs are similar
and how they are different.
The graph of is the same shape as , but reflected across the -axis. This is
because outputs that used to happen for negative values now happen for positive values and vice
versa. This happens for all functions where you replace with .

Adding on the inside

This interactive graph shows and . Use the slider to change the value of .
Look at what happens to the graph.

Replacing the with makes the graph move minus along the -axis. This is because at the
position on the -axis, the -value is now , which used to be at the position on the
-axis. That means the height from that point further along moves back to be in the new position.
Replacing with makes the graph move plus along the -axis for similar reasons.
This is true for any graph. Replacing with moves the graph along the -axis.

Multiplying on the inside

This interactive graph shows and . Use the slider to change the value of .
Look at what happens to the graph.

Replacing the with , for , makes the graph shrink inwards towards the -axis. This is
because at the position on the -axis, the -value is now , which used to be at position
on the -axis. So the height from that point moves inwards to be at the new position.
Replacing the with , for positive , makes the graph stretch outwards away from the -axis.
Again this is because at the position on the -axis, the -value is now , which used to be at
position . So the height from that point moves outwards to be at the new position.
This is true for any graph. Replacing with always shrinks or stretches the graph along the -
axis, depending on whether is more or less than .

Summary
These tables summarise all the changes to the function’s formula and what effect they have on the
graph.
Function (note is positive in these Change in the graph from the Picture of graph
formulas) original
Original function.
Doing an operation after the original formula:
Function (note is positive in these Change in the graph from the original Picture of graph
formulas)
Reflected across the -axis.

Stretched out by away from the -axis if

.

Shrunk by towards the -axis if .

Moved upwards by .

Moved downwards by .

Replacing with an operation done on :

Function (note is positive in Change in the graph from the Picture of graph
these formulas) original
Reflected across the -axis.
 Shrunk by towards the -axis if

Stretched out by away from the -

axis if .

Moved backwards by along the -

axis.

Moved forwards by along the -

axis.

These transformations can be put together one after the other to make complicated changes to the
graph. It’s important to remember that the -direction changes happen when you replace with a
new expression, and the -direction changes when you perform an operation on the formula.
For example, to imagine the graph of , you can do each of these steps in turn:

STEP 1 Start with .

STEP 2 Replace with , making the function , and so shift to the left.

STEP 3 Replace with , making the function , and so shrinking towards the
-axis by .

STEP 4 Subtract outside the formula, making the function , and so

shifting downwards.

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