Kim Angela M.

Ocampo
8- St. Albert

3. Conduct an Internet research for the vertical line test, functions, and evaluating
functions. Share a link to a page that you think others may find useful.

-The vertical line test is a visual approach for assessing whether a curve in the plane
accurately depicts the graph of a function by counting the points on the curve where
vertical lines cross it. Consequently, any vertical line in the plane can only ever cross the
graph of a function once. The vertical line test is a technique for determining whether or
not a given relation is a function. The method is rather straightforward. The junction
locations of a vertical line cut through the graph of a relation should be noted. The
vertical line test demonstrates that a function is defined. Recall that the vertical line test is
a good way to tell whether a graph is a function. Once you know that you are looking at a
function, you can use the horizontal line test to determine if it is a one-to-one function. A
function is expected to have a unique range for each of its domains, and if the input has
more than one output, then it is not considered a function: this can be identified using the
vertical line test. If a vertical line intersects the graph of the relation at only one point,
then it is a function, and if it intersects at more than one point then the graph does not
represent a function.
The vertical line test satisfies the definition of a function: for every domain x value, there
is only one range y value for the function. The vertical line x = a, if it cuts the curve y = f
(x) at only one point (a, f (a)), then such a curve y = f (x) represents a function.
A vertical line is supposed to cut the curve at only one point, for the curve to represent a
function. And if the vertical line x = a is cutting the graph y = f(x) at more than one point,
at two points such as (x, y1), (x, y2), then it is having different y values for the same x-
value. Thus each domain has more than one codomain value and it contradicts the basic
definition of a function, and the curve y = f(x) does not represent a function.

Graph of Vertical Line Test

A graph of a vertical line helps to easily identify if the given equation y = f(x) represents
a function or not. In each of the graphs, we can conclude by a quick observation if the
vertical line is cutting the curve at one point or more than one point. If the line is cutting
the curve more than once, then it does not represent the graph of a function. For a
function, the vertical line needs to cut the curve at only one point.
In the above graph, the three graphs towards the left have the vertical lines cutting it at
only one point, and hence they represent a function, and the three graphs towards the
right do not represent the function as the vertical line cuts the graph at two points. Let us
check the examples of a few of the equations which represent a function, and a few
equations which do not represent functions.

Equations representing functions: y = x, y = x2, y = 3, y = |x|, y = sinx, y = x3, y

= 3√x3x,
Equations which do not represent functions: x = y2, x2 + y2 = 9, x = 4, y = √xx

We can draw the graph for each of these equations, and use the vertical line test, to check
if they are a function or not a function.

How to Apply Vertical Line Test?

The following sequence of steps is needed to be followed to apply the vertical line test, to
find if the given expression is a function or not. There are two methods of applying the
vertical line test. It can be applied geometrically or algebraically. Let us consider a
function y = f(x) and the vertical line having the equation x = a.

Geometrically: Draw the graph of y = f(x), with respect to the coordinate axis. Now
draw the line x = a, and observe the number of places it cuts the curve y = f(x). If this
vertical line cuts the curve at more than one place, then the curve does not represent a
function. If the vertical line cuts the curve at only one point which is (a, f (a)), then the
curve y = f(x) represents a function.

Algebraically: The equation of a vertical line is x = a and substituting it in the equation

of a curve y = f (x), we get y = f (a). If we get more than one value for y, then it proves
that the equation y = f(x) does not represent a function. Further, if we get only a single
value for y, by substituting x = a in y = f(x), then y = f(x) represents a function.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_line_test
https://www.chilimath.com/lessons/intermediate-algebra/vertical-line-test/
https://www.cuemath.com/algebra/vertical-line-test/