Warm-up:

Given f(x) = 2x3 + 5 and g(x) = x2 – 3

Find (f ° g)(x)
FUNCTIONS
and
INVERSE
FUNCTIONS
 Functions
Imagine functions are like the dye you use
to color eggs. The white egg (x) is put in
the function blue dye B(x) and the result is
a blue egg (y).
The Inverse Function “undoes” what the
function does.
The Inverse Function of the BLUE dye is bleach.
The Bleach will “undye” the blue egg and make it
white.
In the same way, the inverse of a given
function will “undo” what the original
function did.
For example, let’s take a look at the cube
function: f(x) = x3
x f(x) y f -1(x)

55 125 5
125 125 55
55 125 125 5
55 x3 125 5
125 55
5
Remember we talked about functions---
taking a set X and mapping into a Set Y

11
22
2
2 4
33 4
66
4 88
4
55 10
10

Set X Set Y
An inverse function would reverse that
process and map from SetY back into Set X
 How do you determine that a
function has an inverse?

It must either be a
•one-to-one function
OR
•a restricted many-to-one function.
 How do you determine that a function is
one-to one?

• Look at values of function

• Use a map
• Use a set of ordered pairs
• Use a table of values
• Use the function equation
• Horizontal Line Test
 One-to-One Functions
A function is one-to-one if each value in its
domain is assigned a different value in the range.

• Only functions that are one-to-one have

inverses.
If we map what we get out of the function back, we won’t
always have a function going back.

1
2
2
4
3
6
4 8
5

Since going back, 6 goes back to both 3 and 5,

the mapping going back is NOT a function
These functions are called
many-to-one functions
Only functions that pair the y value (value in the
range) with only one x will be functions going
back the other way. These functions are called
one-to-one functions.
 This would not be a one-to-one function because to be one-
to-one, each y would only be used once with an x.

11
2
2 2
2 44
3
3 6
44 6
8
8
55 10
10

This is a function IS one-to-one. Each x is paired

with only one y and each y is paired with only one x

Only one-to-one functions will have inverse

functions, meaning the mapping back to the
original values is also a function.
How do you determine that a function is
one-to one?
Use a mapping diagram. 2 1 7
3 5 3
0
9
f
ordered pairs (2,1) (3, 7) (5, 3) (9, 0)
map y to x (1, 2) (7, 3) (3, 5) (0, 9)
One-to-one
2 4
-2 5 25
9 81
g
ordered pairs (2,4) (-2, 4) (5, 3) (9, 0)
Map y to x (4, 2) (4, -2) (3, 5) (0, 9)
Note g is not one-to-one.
 How do you determine that a function is one-to
one?
Use a table of values.
• Given the function at the right
• Can it have an inverse?
• Why or Why Not? x Y
• NO … when we reverse the ordered
pairs, the result is Not a function 1 5
• We would say the function is
not one-to-one 2 9
• A function is one-to-one
when different inputs always 4 6
result in different outputs
7 5
c  d  f (c )  f ( d )
 How do you determine that a function is one-to
Use a list of ordered pairs.one?
• A function is a set of ordered pairs with no two
first elements alike.
• f(x) = { (x,y) : (3, 2), (1, 4), (7, 6), (9,12) }

• g(x) = { (x,y) : (2, 5), (6, 1), (-2, 5), (12, 9) }

Is the function one-to-one?

 How do you determine that a function is one-to
one?
Recall that to determine by the graph if an equation is
a function, we have the vertical line test.
If a vertical line intersects the graph of an
equation more than one time, the equation
graphed is NOT a function.

This is NOT a
This is a function function This is a function
How do you determine that a function is one-to
one?each y value could only be
To be a one-to-one function,
paired with one x. Let’s look at a couple of graphs.

Look at a y value (for For any y value, a horizontal

example y = 3)and see if line will only intersection the
there is only one x value graph once so will only have
on the graph for it. one x value
This is a many-to-one This then IS a one-to-one
function function
How do you determine that a function is one-to
one?
Use the Horizontal Line Test
If every horizontal line intersects the graph of a
function at no more than one point, then the function
is one-to-one and therefore has an inverse.
Example Use the horizontal line test to determine
whether the graphs are graphs of one-to-one
functions.
(a) (b)

Not one-to-one One-to-one

How do you determine that a function is one-to
one?

• Horizontal line test?

f ( x)  x 2 f ( x)  x 3
 How do you determine that a function is one-to
one?
Summary for

Horizontal Line Test

• Used to determine whether a function is one-to-one
or many-to-one.
• Used to determine whether a function’s inverse will
be a function by seeing if the original function passes
the horizontal line test.
test
• If the original function passes the horizontal line test,
then its inverse is a function.
function
• If the original function does not pass the horizontal
line test, then its inverse is not a function.
function
 How do you determine that a function is one-to
one?
Example Decide whether the function is one-to-one.
(a) f ( x)  4 x  12 (b) f ( x)  25  x 2

Solution
(a) For this function, two different x-values produce
two different y-values.
Suppose that a  b, then  4a  4b and
 4a  12  4b  12. Since f (a)  f (b), f is one - to - one.

(b) If we choose a = 3 and b = –3, then 3  –3, but

f (3)  25  32  4 and f (3)  25  (3) 2  4,
so f (3)  f (3), therefore f is not one - to - one.
 How do you find the Inverse Function?
• Notation for the inverse function f -1 is read
“f-inverse”

{(-3, 7), (-2, 10), (-1, 12), (0, 15), (1, 10)}
Inverse:

{(-5, 12), (-2, -8), (4, 10), (6, 14), (10, 18)}
Inverse:
** Remember functions have to pass the vertical line test!
***Remember for functions to have an inverse function they have to
pass the horizontal line test!
 How do you find an Equation for the Inverse
Function?
• Notation for the inverse function f is read
-1

“f-inverse”

Finding the Equation of the Inverse of y = f(x)

1. Interchange x and y.
2. Solve for y.
3. Replace y with f -1(x).
Any restrictions on x and y should be considered.
** Remember functions have to pass the vertical line test!
***Remember for functions to have an inverse function they have to
pass the horizontal line test!
How do you find an equation for the inverse
function?
Finding the Equation of the Inverse of y = f(x)
1. Interchange x and y.
2. Solve for y.
3. Replace y with f -1(x).
Any restrictions on x and y should be considered.
Given f (x) = -2x – 7, find the inverse
y = -2x – 7

1. x = -2y – 7
2. y = x + 7
-2
3.f -1(x) = x + 7
-2
How do you find an equation for the inverse
function?
Ex: (a)Find the inverse of f(x)=x5.
(b) Is f -1(x) a function?

y = x5 (hint: look at the graph!

1.x = y5 Does it pass the vertical line
2. 5 x  5 y 5 test?)
5
xy
y x
5

Yes , f -1(x) is
a function.
How do you find an equation for the inverse
function?
Ex: f(x)=2x2-4 Determine whether f -1(x) is a
function, then find the inverse equation.
y = 2x2-4
x = 2y2-4
x+4 = 2y2
x4
 y2
2

x4
y
2
1
f (x) is not a function.
-1
OR y  x2
2
*Later we will talk about how you can make this a function.
How do you find an equation for the inverse
function?
Ex: g(x)=2x3
y=2x3
x=2y3
x
 y3
2
x
3  y
2
x
y 3
2
3
4x
Inverse is a function! y
2
How do you find an equation for the inverse
function?
Find the inverse, if it exists, of
f (x) = 3x2 + 2

Step 1: Switch x and y: x = 3y2 + 2

Step 2: Solve for y: x  3y 2  2
2
x  2  3y
x2
 y2
3
x2
y
3
How do you find an equation for the inverse
function?

Find the inverse, if it exists, of

4x  6
f ( x)  .
5
4x  6
Solution y Write f (x) = y.
5
4y  6
x Interchange x and y.
5
5x  4 y  6 Solve for y.
5x  6
y
4
1 5x  6
f ( x)  Replace y with f -1(x).
4
How do you find an equation for the inverse
function?
Find the inverse, if it exists, of
f(x) = -3x+6
How do you find an equation for the inverse
function?
Find the inverse, if it exists, of
2x  5
f ( x)  .
x5
How do you find an equation for the inverse
function?
Find the inverse, if it exists, of
f ( x)  x  4
5
Let’s look back at your warm-up functions.
Do they have an inverse?
If so, find the inverse equation.
f(x) = 2x3 + 5 g(x) = x2 – 3
 What do we know about the graphs of functions
and their inverses?
Graph, the x and y values of the following function and it’s inverse.
Suggestion: Use two different colors.
If the function y = g(x)
10
contains the points
8

6 x 0 1 2 3 4
4 y 1 2 4 8 16
2
then its inverse, y = g-1(x),
-10 -8 -6 -4 -2 2 4 6 8 10 contains the points
-2

-4 x 1 2 4 8 16
-6
y 0 1 2 3 4
-8

-10
Where is there a
line of reflection?
Warm-up
What do we know about the graphs of functions
and their inverses?
Graphically, the x and y values of a point are
switched.
The point (4, 7)
has an inverse
point of (7, 4)

AND
The point (-5, 3)
has an inverse
point of (3, -5)

Can also use homework problems p. 265/#27 &29

 Notice that the x and y values These functions are
Let’s consider
traded places forthe
thefunction  
functionf x  2reflections
x  1 and of each other
compute
andsome values and graph them.
its inverse. about the line y = x

x f (x)
f  x  2x  1
-2
-1
-3
-1
f 1  x   .5 x  .5 (2,5)
(5,2)
0 1 x f -1(x)
1 3
-3 -2
2 5 (-3,-2) f 1  x   .5 x  .5
-1 -1
Let’s take the
values we got out
1 0 (-2,-3)
of the function and 3 1
put them into the 5 2
inverse function
and plot them
Is this a one-to-one function? Yes, so it will have an inverse
function
 Notice that the x and y values
Let’s consider
traded places for the function f
function
the  x   xreflections
3 These functions are
and compute
of each other
some values
and its and graph them.
inverse. about the line y = x

x f (x) (2,8)
f  x  x3
-2
-1
-8
-1
f 1
 x  3 x
(8,2)
0 0 x f -1(x)
1 1
2 8 -8 -2 f 1  x   3 x
-1 -1
Let’s take the (-8,-2)
values we got out
0 0
of the function and 1 1
put them into the 8 2
(-2,-8)
inverse function
and plot them
Is this a one-to-one function? Yes, so it will have an inverse
function
What will “undo” a cube? A cube root
What do we know about the graphs of functions
and their inverses?
• f and f -1(x) are inverse functions, and f (a) = b for
real numbers a and b. Then f -1(b) = a.

• If the point (a,b) is on the graph of f, then the

point (b,a) is on the graph of f -1.

• The domain of f is the range of f -1

• The range of f is the domain of f -1
If a function is one-to-one,
the graph of its inverse f -1(x)
is a reflection of the graph of
f across the line y = x.
What do we know about the graphs of functions
and their inverses?
y = f(x) y=x

The graph of a
function and
its inverse are y = f-1(x)
mirror images
about the line

y=x
Is it possible to make a many-to-one functions a
one-to-one function, so an inverse does exist?

Think about the domain and range

• The domain of f is the range of f -1
• The range of f is the domain of f -1

• Thus ... we may be required to restrict the domain

of f so that f -1 is a function
Is it possible to make a many-to-one functions a
one-to-one function, so an inverse does exist?
Restricting Domains t  0  .01 10

Not 1-1 Restrict domain to x  0

Now function is 1-1 and has
f (x) = x2
an inverse function

You can make a function 1-1 by restricting its

domain. Such a function will have an inverse.
How do you finding the inverse of a
function with a restricted domain?
1
Example Let f ( x )  x  5. Find f ( x).

Solution Notice that the domain of f is restricted

to [–5,), and its range is [0, ). It is one-to-one and
thus has an inverse.
y  x5
x  y5
x2  y  5
y  x2  5
The range of f is the domain of f -1, so its inverse is
1
f ( x)  x  5, x  0.
2
How do you prove that a function is an inverse of
another function?
Let f be a one-to-one function. Then, g is the
inverse function of f and f is the inverse of g if
( f  g )( x)  x for every x in the domain of g ,
and
( g  f )( x)  x for every x in the domain of f .
How do you prove that a function is an inverse of
another function?
Ex: Verify that f(x)=-3x+6 and g(x)=-1/3x+2 are inverses.
• Meaning find f(g(x)) and g(f(x)). If they both equal x, then they
are inverses.
f(g(x))= -3(-1/3x+2)+6 g(f(x))= -1/3(-3x+6)+2

= x-6+6 = x-2+2
=x =x

** Because f(g(x))=x and g(f(x))=x, they are inverses.

How do you prove that a function is an inverse of
another function?

Composition of Inverse Functions

1
f ( x)  x 3
and f ( x)  x 3

• Consider
• f(3) = 27   and   f -1(27) = 3
• Thus, f(f -1(27)) = 27
• and f -1(f(3)) = 3

• In general   f(f -1(x)) = x   and f -1(f(x)) = x

(assuming both f and f -1 are defined for x)
How do you prove that a function is an inverse of
another function?
f and f –1 are inverses if and only if the result of the
composition of a function and its inverse (in either order
is the original input, x.
f ( x)  x3  1 f 1 ( x)  3 x  1
Use the composition of functions to show inverses
How do you prove that a function is an inverse of
another function?
• Consider f ( x)  2 3 x  4
3
x
g ( x)   4
8

• Demonstrate that these are inverse functions

 How do you prove that a function is an inverse of
another function?
Verify that the functions f and g are inverses of each other.
f  x    x  2 , x  2; g  x  x  2
2

If we graph (x - 2)2 it is a parabola shifted right 2.

Is this a one-to-one function?

This would not be one-to-one

but they restricted the domain
and are only taking the
function where x is greater
than or equal to 2 so we will
have a one-to-one function.
How do you prove that a function is an inverse of
another function?
Verify that the functions f and g are inverses of each other.

f  x    x  2 , x  2; g  x  x  2
2

f g   
x 22  x  x
2 2

g f   x  2 2
2  x22  x

Since both of these = x, if you start with x and apply the

functions they “undo” each other and are inverses.
 Important Facts About Inverses

If f is one-to-one, then f -1 exists.

The domain of f is the range of f -1, and the

range of f is the domain of f -1.

If the point (a,b) is on the graph of f, then the

point (b,a) is on the graph of f -1, so the graphs
of f and f -1 are reflections of each other across
the line y = x.
 So geometrically if a function and its inverse are graphed, they
are reflections about the line y = x and the x and y values have
traded places. The domain of the function is the range of the
inverse. The range of the function is the domain of the inverse.
Also if we start with an x and put it in the function and put the
result in the inverse function, we are back where we started
from.
Given two functions, we can then tell if they are inverses of each
other if we plug one into the other and it “undoes” the function.
Remember subbing one function in the other was the
composition function.

So if f and g are inverse functions, their composition would

simply give x back. For inverse functions then:

f  g  f  g x   x g  f  g f  x   x