{"id":1032,"date":"2015-11-12T18:35:32","date_gmt":"2015-11-12T18:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/collegealgebra1xmaster\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1032"},"modified":"2015-11-12T18:35:32","modified_gmt":"2015-11-12T18:35:32","slug":"find-or-evaluate-the-inverse-of-a-function","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytech-collegealgebra\/chapter\/find-or-evaluate-the-inverse-of-a-function\/","title":{"raw":"Find or evaluate the inverse of a function","rendered":"Find or evaluate the inverse of a function"},"content":{"raw":"<p id=\"fs-id1165137761017\">Once we have a one-to-one function, we can evaluate its inverse at specific inverse function inputs or construct a complete representation of the inverse function in many cases.<\/p>\n\n<section id=\"fs-id1165135466392\" data-depth=\"2\"><h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"title\"\/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"title\"\/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"title\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Inverting Tabular Functions<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135190714\">Suppose we want to find the inverse of a function represented in table form. Remember that the domain of a function is the range of the inverse and the range of the function is the domain of the inverse. So we need to interchange the domain and range.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137422578\">Each row (or column) of inputs becomes the row (or column) of outputs for the inverse function. Similarly, each row (or column) of outputs becomes the row (or column) of inputs for the inverse function.<\/p>\n\n<div id=\"Example_01_07_06\" class=\"example\" data-type=\"example\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135544995\" class=\"exercise\" data-type=\"exercise\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137698262\" class=\"problem textbox shaded\" data-type=\"problem\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Example 5: Interpreting the Inverse of a Tabular Function<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135435474\">A function [latex]f\\left(t\\right)[\/latex] is given\u00a0below, showing distance in miles that a car has traveled in [latex]t[\/latex] minutes. Find and interpret [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(70\\right)[\/latex].<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"Table_01_07_03\" summary=\"Two rows and five columns. The first row is labeled\"><colgroup><col\/><col data-width=\"40\"\/><col data-width=\"40\"\/><col data-width=\"40\"\/><col data-width=\"40\"\/><\/colgroup><tbody><tr><td data-align=\"left\"><strong>[latex]t\\text{ (minutes)}[\/latex]<\/strong><\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">30<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">50<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">70<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">90<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td data-align=\"left\"><strong>[latex]f\\left(t\\right)\\text{ (miles)}[\/latex] <\/strong><\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">20<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">40<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">60<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">70<\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137407569\" class=\"solution textbox shaded\" data-type=\"solution\">\n<h3>Solution<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137640334\">The inverse function takes an output of [latex]f[\/latex] and returns an input for [latex]f[\/latex]. So in the expression [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(70\\right)[\/latex], 70 is an output value of the original function, representing 70 miles. The inverse will return the corresponding input of the original function [latex]f[\/latex], 90 minutes, so [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(70\\right)=90[\/latex]. The interpretation of this is that, to drive 70 miles, it took 90 minutes.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135181841\">Alternatively, recall that the definition of the inverse was that if [latex]f\\left(a\\right)=b[\/latex], then [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(b\\right)=a[\/latex]. By this definition, if we are given [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(70\\right)=a[\/latex], then we are looking for a value [latex]a[\/latex] so that [latex]f\\left(a\\right)=70[\/latex]. In this case, we are looking for a [latex]t[\/latex] so that [latex]f\\left(t\\right)=70[\/latex], which is when [latex]t=90[\/latex].<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<h3>Try It 5<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165134108483\">Using the table below,\u00a0find and interpret (a) [latex]\\text{ }f\\left(60\\right)[\/latex], and (b) [latex]\\text{ }{f}^{-1}\\left(60\\right)[\/latex].<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"Table_01_07_04\" summary=\"Two rows and five columns. The first row is labeled\"><colgroup><col\/><col data-width=\"40\"\/><col data-width=\"40\"\/><col data-width=\"40\"\/><col data-width=\"40\"\/><col data-width=\"40\"\/><\/colgroup><tbody><tr><td data-align=\"left\">[latex]t\\text{ (minutes)}[\/latex]<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">30<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">50<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">60<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">70<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">90<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td data-align=\"left\">[latex]f\\left(t\\right)\\text{ (miles)}[\/latex]<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">20<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">40<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">50<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">60<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">70<\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/osprecalc\/chapter\/solutions-6\/\" target=\"_blank\">Solution<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/section><section id=\"fs-id1165137418615\" data-depth=\"2\"><h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"title\"\/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"title\"\/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"title\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Evaluating the Inverse of a Function, Given a Graph of the Original Function<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137400045\">We saw in <a class=\"target-chapter\" href=\"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/osprecalc\/chapter\/introduction\/\" target=\"_blank\">Functions and Function Notation<\/a> that the domain of a function can be read by observing the horizontal extent of its graph. We find the domain of the inverse function by observing the <em data-effect=\"italics\">vertical<\/em> extent of the graph of the original function, because this corresponds to the horizontal extent of the inverse function. Similarly, we find the range of the inverse function by observing the <em data-effect=\"italics\">horizontal<\/em> extent of the graph of the original function, as this is the vertical extent of the inverse function. If we want to evaluate an inverse function, we find its input within its domain, which is all or part of the vertical axis of the original function\u2019s graph.<\/p>\n\n<div id=\"fs-id1165133045388\" class=\"note precalculus howto textbox\" data-type=\"note\" data-has-label=\"true\" data-label=\"How To\">\n<h3 id=\"fs-id1165135333128\">How To: Given the graph of a function, evaluate its inverse at specific points.<\/h3>\n<ol id=\"fs-id1165137464840\" data-number-style=\"arabic\"><li>Find the desired input on the <em data-effect=\"italics\">y<\/em>-axis of the given graph.<\/li>\n\t<li>Read the inverse function\u2019s output from the <em data-effect=\"italics\">x<\/em>-axis of the given graph.<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<div id=\"Example_01_07_07\" class=\"example\" data-type=\"example\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135434803\" class=\"exercise\" data-type=\"exercise\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135434805\" class=\"problem textbox shaded\" data-type=\"problem\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Example 6: Evaluating a Function and Its Inverse from a Graph at Specific Points<\/h3>\nA function [latex]g\\left(x\\right)[\/latex] is given in Figure 5. Find [latex]g\\left(3\\right)[\/latex] and [latex]{g}^{-1}\\left(3\\right)[\/latex].\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"487\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/924\/2015\/11\/25200957\/CNX_Precalc_Figure_01_07_0062.jpg\" alt=\"Graph of g(x).\" width=\"487\" height=\"254\" data-media-type=\"image\/jpg\"\/><b>Figure 5<\/b>[\/caption]\n\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137468840\" class=\"solution textbox shaded\" data-type=\"solution\">\n<h3>Solution<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137468842\">To evaluate [latex]g\\left(3\\right)[\/latex], we find 3 on the <em data-effect=\"italics\">x<\/em>-axis and find the corresponding output value on the <em data-effect=\"italics\">y<\/em>-axis. The point [latex]\\left(3,1\\right)[\/latex] tells us that [latex]g\\left(3\\right)=1[\/latex].<\/p>\nTo evaluate [latex]{g}^{-1}\\left(3\\right)[\/latex], recall that by definition [latex]{g}^{-1}\\left(3\\right)[\/latex] means the value of <em data-effect=\"italics\">x<\/em> for which [latex]g\\left(x\\right)=3[\/latex]. By looking for the output value 3 on the vertical axis, we find the point [latex]\\left(5,3\\right)[\/latex] on the graph, which means [latex]g\\left(5\\right)=3[\/latex], so by definition, [latex]{g}^{-1}\\left(3\\right)=5[\/latex].<span data-type=\"media\" data-alt=\"Graph of g(x).\">\n<\/span>\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"487\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/924\/2015\/11\/25200958\/CNX_Precalc_Figure_01_07_0072.jpg\" alt=\"Graph of g(x).\" width=\"487\" height=\"254\" data-media-type=\"image\/jpg\"\/><b>Figure 6<\/b>[\/caption]\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<h3>Try It 6<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137812560\">Using the graph in Example 6, (a) find [latex]{g}^{-1}\\left(1\\right)[\/latex], and (b) estimate [latex]{g}^{-1}\\left(4\\right)[\/latex].<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/osprecalc\/chapter\/solutions-6\/\" target=\"_blank\">Solution<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/section><section id=\"fs-id1165137605437\" data-depth=\"2\"><h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"title\"\/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"title\"\/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"title\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Finding Inverses of Functions Represented by Formulas<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137433184\">Sometimes we will need to know an inverse function for all elements of its domain, not just a few. If the original function is given as a formula\u2014 for example, [latex]y[\/latex] as a function of [latex]x\\text{-\\hspace{0.17em}}[\/latex] we can often find the inverse function by solving to obtain [latex]x[\/latex] as a function of [latex]y[\/latex].<\/p>\n\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137652548\" class=\"note precalculus howto textbox\" data-type=\"note\" data-has-label=\"true\" data-label=\"How To\">\n<h3 id=\"fs-id1165135195849\">How To: Given a function represented by a formula, find the inverse.<\/h3>\n<ol id=\"fs-id1165135443898\" data-number-style=\"arabic\"><li>Make sure [latex]f[\/latex] is a one-to-one function.<\/li>\n\t<li>Solve for [latex]x[\/latex].<\/li>\n\t<li>Interchange [latex]x[\/latex] and [latex]y[\/latex].<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<div id=\"Example_01_07_08\" class=\"example\" data-type=\"example\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135186316\" class=\"exercise\" data-type=\"exercise\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135186318\" class=\"problem textbox shaded\" data-type=\"problem\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Example 7: Inverting the Fahrenheit-to-Celsius Function<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137596585\">Find a formula for the inverse function that gives Fahrenheit temperature as a function of Celsius temperature.<\/p>\n\n<div id=\"fs-id1165133306998\" class=\"equation unnumbered\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"equation\" data-label=\"\">[latex]C=\\frac{5}{9}\\left(F - 32\\right)[\/latex]<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135417800\" class=\"solution\" data-type=\"solution\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135193737\" class=\"equation unnumbered textbox shaded\" data-type=\"equation\" data-label=\"\">\n<h3>Solution<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\begin{cases}\\hfill{ C }=\\frac{5}{9}\\left(F - 32\\right)\\hfill \\\\ C\\cdot \\frac{9}{5}=F - 32\\hfill \\\\ F=\\frac{9}{5}C+32\\hfill \\end{cases}[\/latex]<\/p>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137819987\">By solving in general, we have uncovered the inverse function. If<\/p>\n\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135173380\" class=\"equation unnumbered\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"equation\" data-label=\"\">[latex]C=h\\left(F\\right)=\\frac{5}{9}\\left(F - 32\\right)\\\\[\/latex],<\/div>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135435603\">then<\/p>\n\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137772327\" class=\"equation unnumbered\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"equation\" data-label=\"\">[latex]F={h}^{-1}\\left(C\\right)=\\frac{9}{5}C+32\\\\[\/latex].<\/div>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137573279\">In this case, we introduced a function [latex]h[\/latex] to represent the conversion because the input and output variables are descriptive, and writing [latex]{C}^{-1}[\/latex] could get confusing.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<h3>Try It\u00a07<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135563331\">Solve for [latex]x[\/latex] in terms of [latex]y[\/latex] given [latex]y=\\frac{1}{3}\\left(x - 5\\right)\\\\[\/latex]<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/osprecalc\/chapter\/solutions-6\/\" target=\"_blank\">Solution<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"Example_01_07_09\" class=\"example\" data-type=\"example\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165134065146\" class=\"exercise\" data-type=\"exercise\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137409366\" class=\"problem textbox shaded\" data-type=\"problem\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Example 8: Solving to Find an Inverse Function<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137891504\">Find the inverse of the function [latex]f\\left(x\\right)=\\frac{2}{x - 3}+4\\\\[\/latex].<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137482074\" class=\"solution textbox shaded\" data-type=\"solution\">\n<h3 class=\"equation unnumbered\" data-type=\"equation\">Solution<\/h3>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135189953\" class=\"equation unnumbered\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"equation\" data-label=\"\">[latex]\\begin{cases}y=\\frac{2}{x - 3}+4\\hfill &amp; \\text{Set up an equation}.\\hfill \\\\ y - 4=\\frac{2}{x - 3}\\hfill &amp; \\text{Subtract 4 from both sides}.\\hfill \\\\ x - 3=\\frac{2}{y - 4}\\hfill &amp; \\text{Multiply both sides by }x - 3\\text{ and divide by }y - 4.\\hfill \\\\ x=\\frac{2}{y - 4}+3\\hfill &amp; \\text{Add 3 to both sides}.\\hfill \\end{cases}\\\\[\/latex]<\/div>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137678168\">So [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(y\\right)=\\frac{2}{y - 4}+3\\\\[\/latex] or [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(x\\right)=\\frac{2}{x - 4}+3\\\\[\/latex].<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137864156\" class=\"commentary\" data-type=\"commentary\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Analysis of the Solution<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135394231\">The domain and range of [latex]f[\/latex] exclude the values 3 and 4, respectively. [latex]f[\/latex] and [latex]{f}^{-1}[\/latex] are equal at two points but are not the same function, as we can see by creating\u00a0the table below.<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"Table_01_07_05\" summary=\"The values of f(x) are: f(1)=3, f(2)=2, and f(5)=5. So f^(-1)(y)=y.\"><tbody><tr><td data-align=\"center\"><strong>[latex]x[\/latex]<\/strong><\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">1<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">2<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">5<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">[latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(y\\right)[\/latex]<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td data-align=\"center\"><strong>[latex]f\\left(x\\right)[\/latex] <\/strong><\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">3<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">2<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">5<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">[latex]y[\/latex]<\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"Example_01_07_10\" class=\"example\" data-type=\"example\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137603677\" class=\"exercise\" data-type=\"exercise\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137547656\" class=\"problem textbox shaded\" data-type=\"problem\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Example 9: Solving to Find an Inverse with Radicals<\/h3>\n<p>Find the inverse of the function [latex]f\\left(x\\right)=2+\\sqrt{x - 4}[\/latex].<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135193684\" class=\"solution textbox shaded\" data-type=\"solution\">\n<h3 class=\"equation unnumbered\" data-type=\"equation\">Solution<\/h3>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137828173\" class=\"equation unnumbered\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"equation\" data-label=\"\">[latex]\\begin{cases}y=2+\\sqrt{x - 4}\\hfill \\\\ {\\left(y - 2\\right)}^{2}=x - 4\\hfill \\\\ x={\\left(y - 2\\right)}^{2}+4\\hfill \\end{cases}[\/latex]<\/div>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135160183\">So [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(x\\right)={\\left(x - 2\\right)}^{2}+4[\/latex].<\/p>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137900392\">The domain of [latex]f[\/latex] is [latex]\\left[4,\\infty \\right)[\/latex]. Notice that the range of [latex]f[\/latex] is [latex]\\left[2,\\infty \\right)[\/latex], so this means that the domain of the inverse function [latex]{f}^{-1}[\/latex] is also [latex]\\left[2,\\infty \\right)[\/latex].<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137667328\" class=\"commentary\" data-type=\"commentary\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Analysis of the Solution<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135546050\">The formula we found for [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(x\\right)[\/latex] looks like it would be valid for all real [latex]x[\/latex]. However, [latex]{f}^{-1}[\/latex] itself must have an inverse (namely, [latex]f[\/latex] ) so we have to restrict the domain of [latex]{f}^{-1}[\/latex] to [latex]\\left[2,\\infty \\right)[\/latex] in order to make [latex]{f}^{-1}[\/latex] a one-to-one function. This domain of [latex]{f}^{-1}[\/latex] is exactly the range of [latex]f[\/latex].<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<h3>Try It\u00a08<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137756074\">What is the inverse of the function [latex]f\\left(x\\right)=2-\\sqrt{x}?[\/latex] State the domains of both the function and the inverse function.<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/osprecalc\/chapter\/solutions-6\/\" target=\"_blank\">Solution<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/section>","rendered":"<p id=\"fs-id1165137761017\">Once we have a one-to-one function, we can evaluate its inverse at specific inverse function inputs or construct a complete representation of the inverse function in many cases.<\/p>\n<section id=\"fs-id1165135466392\" data-depth=\"2\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"title\">\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Inverting Tabular Functions<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135190714\">Suppose we want to find the inverse of a function represented in table form. Remember that the domain of a function is the range of the inverse and the range of the function is the domain of the inverse. So we need to interchange the domain and range.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137422578\">Each row (or column) of inputs becomes the row (or column) of outputs for the inverse function. Similarly, each row (or column) of outputs becomes the row (or column) of inputs for the inverse function.<\/p>\n<div id=\"Example_01_07_06\" class=\"example\" data-type=\"example\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135544995\" class=\"exercise\" data-type=\"exercise\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137698262\" class=\"problem textbox shaded\" data-type=\"problem\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Example 5: Interpreting the Inverse of a Tabular Function<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135435474\">A function [latex]f\\left(t\\right)[\/latex] is given\u00a0below, showing distance in miles that a car has traveled in [latex]t[\/latex] minutes. Find and interpret [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(70\\right)[\/latex].<\/p>\n<table id=\"Table_01_07_03\" summary=\"Two rows and five columns. The first row is labeled\">\n<colgroup>\n<col \/>\n<col data-width=\"40\" \/>\n<col data-width=\"40\" \/>\n<col data-width=\"40\" \/>\n<col data-width=\"40\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td data-align=\"left\"><strong>[latex]t\\text{ (minutes)}[\/latex]<\/strong><\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">30<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">50<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">70<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">90<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-align=\"left\"><strong>[latex]f\\left(t\\right)\\text{ (miles)}[\/latex] <\/strong><\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">20<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">40<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">60<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">70<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137407569\" class=\"solution textbox shaded\" data-type=\"solution\">\n<h3>Solution<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137640334\">The inverse function takes an output of [latex]f[\/latex] and returns an input for [latex]f[\/latex]. So in the expression [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(70\\right)[\/latex], 70 is an output value of the original function, representing 70 miles. The inverse will return the corresponding input of the original function [latex]f[\/latex], 90 minutes, so [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(70\\right)=90[\/latex]. The interpretation of this is that, to drive 70 miles, it took 90 minutes.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135181841\">Alternatively, recall that the definition of the inverse was that if [latex]f\\left(a\\right)=b[\/latex], then [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(b\\right)=a[\/latex]. By this definition, if we are given [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(70\\right)=a[\/latex], then we are looking for a value [latex]a[\/latex] so that [latex]f\\left(a\\right)=70[\/latex]. In this case, we are looking for a [latex]t[\/latex] so that [latex]f\\left(t\\right)=70[\/latex], which is when [latex]t=90[\/latex].<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<h3>Try It 5<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165134108483\">Using the table below,\u00a0find and interpret (a) [latex]\\text{ }f\\left(60\\right)[\/latex], and (b) [latex]\\text{ }{f}^{-1}\\left(60\\right)[\/latex].<\/p>\n<table id=\"Table_01_07_04\" summary=\"Two rows and five columns. The first row is labeled\">\n<colgroup>\n<col \/>\n<col data-width=\"40\" \/>\n<col data-width=\"40\" \/>\n<col data-width=\"40\" \/>\n<col data-width=\"40\" \/>\n<col data-width=\"40\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td data-align=\"left\">[latex]t\\text{ (minutes)}[\/latex]<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">30<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">50<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">60<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">70<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">90<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-align=\"left\">[latex]f\\left(t\\right)\\text{ (miles)}[\/latex]<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">20<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">40<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">50<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">60<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"left\">70<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/osprecalc\/chapter\/solutions-6\/\" target=\"_blank\">Solution<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"fs-id1165137418615\" data-depth=\"2\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"title\">\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Evaluating the Inverse of a Function, Given a Graph of the Original Function<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137400045\">We saw in <a class=\"target-chapter\" href=\"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/osprecalc\/chapter\/introduction\/\" target=\"_blank\">Functions and Function Notation<\/a> that the domain of a function can be read by observing the horizontal extent of its graph. We find the domain of the inverse function by observing the <em data-effect=\"italics\">vertical<\/em> extent of the graph of the original function, because this corresponds to the horizontal extent of the inverse function. Similarly, we find the range of the inverse function by observing the <em data-effect=\"italics\">horizontal<\/em> extent of the graph of the original function, as this is the vertical extent of the inverse function. If we want to evaluate an inverse function, we find its input within its domain, which is all or part of the vertical axis of the original function\u2019s graph.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165133045388\" class=\"note precalculus howto textbox\" data-type=\"note\" data-has-label=\"true\" data-label=\"How To\">\n<h3 id=\"fs-id1165135333128\">How To: Given the graph of a function, evaluate its inverse at specific points.<\/h3>\n<ol id=\"fs-id1165137464840\" data-number-style=\"arabic\">\n<li>Find the desired input on the <em data-effect=\"italics\">y<\/em>-axis of the given graph.<\/li>\n<li>Read the inverse function\u2019s output from the <em data-effect=\"italics\">x<\/em>-axis of the given graph.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"Example_01_07_07\" class=\"example\" data-type=\"example\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135434803\" class=\"exercise\" data-type=\"exercise\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135434805\" class=\"problem textbox shaded\" data-type=\"problem\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Example 6: Evaluating a Function and Its Inverse from a Graph at Specific Points<\/h3>\n<p>A function [latex]g\\left(x\\right)[\/latex] is given in Figure 5. Find [latex]g\\left(3\\right)[\/latex] and [latex]{g}^{-1}\\left(3\\right)[\/latex].<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 497px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/924\/2015\/11\/25200957\/CNX_Precalc_Figure_01_07_0062.jpg\" alt=\"Graph of g(x).\" width=\"487\" height=\"254\" data-media-type=\"image\/jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><b>Figure 5<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137468840\" class=\"solution textbox shaded\" data-type=\"solution\">\n<h3>Solution<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137468842\">To evaluate [latex]g\\left(3\\right)[\/latex], we find 3 on the <em data-effect=\"italics\">x<\/em>-axis and find the corresponding output value on the <em data-effect=\"italics\">y<\/em>-axis. The point [latex]\\left(3,1\\right)[\/latex] tells us that [latex]g\\left(3\\right)=1[\/latex].<\/p>\n<p>To evaluate [latex]{g}^{-1}\\left(3\\right)[\/latex], recall that by definition [latex]{g}^{-1}\\left(3\\right)[\/latex] means the value of <em data-effect=\"italics\">x<\/em> for which [latex]g\\left(x\\right)=3[\/latex]. By looking for the output value 3 on the vertical axis, we find the point [latex]\\left(5,3\\right)[\/latex] on the graph, which means [latex]g\\left(5\\right)=3[\/latex], so by definition, [latex]{g}^{-1}\\left(3\\right)=5[\/latex].<span data-type=\"media\" data-alt=\"Graph of g(x).\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 497px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/924\/2015\/11\/25200958\/CNX_Precalc_Figure_01_07_0072.jpg\" alt=\"Graph of g(x).\" width=\"487\" height=\"254\" data-media-type=\"image\/jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><b>Figure 6<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<h3>Try It 6<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137812560\">Using the graph in Example 6, (a) find [latex]{g}^{-1}\\left(1\\right)[\/latex], and (b) estimate [latex]{g}^{-1}\\left(4\\right)[\/latex].<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/osprecalc\/chapter\/solutions-6\/\" target=\"_blank\">Solution<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"fs-id1165137605437\" data-depth=\"2\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"title\">\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Finding Inverses of Functions Represented by Formulas<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137433184\">Sometimes we will need to know an inverse function for all elements of its domain, not just a few. If the original function is given as a formula\u2014 for example, [latex]y[\/latex] as a function of [latex]x\\text{-\\hspace{0.17em}}[\/latex] we can often find the inverse function by solving to obtain [latex]x[\/latex] as a function of [latex]y[\/latex].<\/p>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137652548\" class=\"note precalculus howto textbox\" data-type=\"note\" data-has-label=\"true\" data-label=\"How To\">\n<h3 id=\"fs-id1165135195849\">How To: Given a function represented by a formula, find the inverse.<\/h3>\n<ol id=\"fs-id1165135443898\" data-number-style=\"arabic\">\n<li>Make sure [latex]f[\/latex] is a one-to-one function.<\/li>\n<li>Solve for [latex]x[\/latex].<\/li>\n<li>Interchange [latex]x[\/latex] and [latex]y[\/latex].<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"Example_01_07_08\" class=\"example\" data-type=\"example\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135186316\" class=\"exercise\" data-type=\"exercise\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135186318\" class=\"problem textbox shaded\" data-type=\"problem\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Example 7: Inverting the Fahrenheit-to-Celsius Function<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137596585\">Find a formula for the inverse function that gives Fahrenheit temperature as a function of Celsius temperature.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165133306998\" class=\"equation unnumbered\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"equation\" data-label=\"\">[latex]C=\\frac{5}{9}\\left(F - 32\\right)[\/latex]<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135417800\" class=\"solution\" data-type=\"solution\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135193737\" class=\"equation unnumbered textbox shaded\" data-type=\"equation\" data-label=\"\">\n<h3>Solution<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\begin{cases}\\hfill{ C }=\\frac{5}{9}\\left(F - 32\\right)\\hfill \\\\ C\\cdot \\frac{9}{5}=F - 32\\hfill \\\\ F=\\frac{9}{5}C+32\\hfill \\end{cases}[\/latex]<\/p>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137819987\">By solving in general, we have uncovered the inverse function. If<\/p>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135173380\" class=\"equation unnumbered\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"equation\" data-label=\"\">[latex]C=h\\left(F\\right)=\\frac{5}{9}\\left(F - 32\\right)\\\\[\/latex],<\/div>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135435603\">then<\/p>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137772327\" class=\"equation unnumbered\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"equation\" data-label=\"\">[latex]F={h}^{-1}\\left(C\\right)=\\frac{9}{5}C+32\\\\[\/latex].<\/div>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137573279\">In this case, we introduced a function [latex]h[\/latex] to represent the conversion because the input and output variables are descriptive, and writing [latex]{C}^{-1}[\/latex] could get confusing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<h3>Try It\u00a07<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135563331\">Solve for [latex]x[\/latex] in terms of [latex]y[\/latex] given [latex]y=\\frac{1}{3}\\left(x - 5\\right)\\\\[\/latex]<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/osprecalc\/chapter\/solutions-6\/\" target=\"_blank\">Solution<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"Example_01_07_09\" class=\"example\" data-type=\"example\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165134065146\" class=\"exercise\" data-type=\"exercise\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137409366\" class=\"problem textbox shaded\" data-type=\"problem\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Example 8: Solving to Find an Inverse Function<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137891504\">Find the inverse of the function [latex]f\\left(x\\right)=\\frac{2}{x - 3}+4\\\\[\/latex].<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137482074\" class=\"solution textbox shaded\" data-type=\"solution\">\n<h3 class=\"equation unnumbered\" data-type=\"equation\">Solution<\/h3>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135189953\" class=\"equation unnumbered\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"equation\" data-label=\"\">[latex]\\begin{cases}y=\\frac{2}{x - 3}+4\\hfill & \\text{Set up an equation}.\\hfill \\\\ y - 4=\\frac{2}{x - 3}\\hfill & \\text{Subtract 4 from both sides}.\\hfill \\\\ x - 3=\\frac{2}{y - 4}\\hfill & \\text{Multiply both sides by }x - 3\\text{ and divide by }y - 4.\\hfill \\\\ x=\\frac{2}{y - 4}+3\\hfill & \\text{Add 3 to both sides}.\\hfill \\end{cases}\\\\[\/latex]<\/div>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137678168\">So [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(y\\right)=\\frac{2}{y - 4}+3\\\\[\/latex] or [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(x\\right)=\\frac{2}{x - 4}+3\\\\[\/latex].<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137864156\" class=\"commentary\" data-type=\"commentary\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Analysis of the Solution<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135394231\">The domain and range of [latex]f[\/latex] exclude the values 3 and 4, respectively. [latex]f[\/latex] and [latex]{f}^{-1}[\/latex] are equal at two points but are not the same function, as we can see by creating\u00a0the table below.<\/p>\n<table id=\"Table_01_07_05\" summary=\"The values of f(x) are: f(1)=3, f(2)=2, and f(5)=5. So f^(-1)(y)=y.\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td data-align=\"center\"><strong>[latex]x[\/latex]<\/strong><\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">1<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">2<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">5<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">[latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(y\\right)[\/latex]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-align=\"center\"><strong>[latex]f\\left(x\\right)[\/latex] <\/strong><\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">3<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">2<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">5<\/td>\n<td data-align=\"center\">[latex]y[\/latex]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"Example_01_07_10\" class=\"example\" data-type=\"example\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137603677\" class=\"exercise\" data-type=\"exercise\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137547656\" class=\"problem textbox shaded\" data-type=\"problem\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Example 9: Solving to Find an Inverse with Radicals<\/h3>\n<p>Find the inverse of the function [latex]f\\left(x\\right)=2+\\sqrt{x - 4}[\/latex].<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165135193684\" class=\"solution textbox shaded\" data-type=\"solution\">\n<h3 class=\"equation unnumbered\" data-type=\"equation\">Solution<\/h3>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137828173\" class=\"equation unnumbered\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-type=\"equation\" data-label=\"\">[latex]\\begin{cases}y=2+\\sqrt{x - 4}\\hfill \\\\ {\\left(y - 2\\right)}^{2}=x - 4\\hfill \\\\ x={\\left(y - 2\\right)}^{2}+4\\hfill \\end{cases}[\/latex]<\/div>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135160183\">So [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(x\\right)={\\left(x - 2\\right)}^{2}+4[\/latex].<\/p>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137900392\">The domain of [latex]f[\/latex] is [latex]\\left[4,\\infty \\right)[\/latex]. Notice that the range of [latex]f[\/latex] is [latex]\\left[2,\\infty \\right)[\/latex], so this means that the domain of the inverse function [latex]{f}^{-1}[\/latex] is also [latex]\\left[2,\\infty \\right)[\/latex].<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1165137667328\" class=\"commentary\" data-type=\"commentary\">\n<h3 data-type=\"title\">Analysis of the Solution<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165135546050\">The formula we found for [latex]{f}^{-1}\\left(x\\right)[\/latex] looks like it would be valid for all real [latex]x[\/latex]. However, [latex]{f}^{-1}[\/latex] itself must have an inverse (namely, [latex]f[\/latex] ) so we have to restrict the domain of [latex]{f}^{-1}[\/latex] to [latex]\\left[2,\\infty \\right)[\/latex] in order to make [latex]{f}^{-1}[\/latex] a one-to-one function. This domain of [latex]{f}^{-1}[\/latex] is exactly the range of [latex]f[\/latex].<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<h3>Try It\u00a08<\/h3>\n<p id=\"fs-id1165137756074\">What is the inverse of the function [latex]f\\left(x\\right)=2-\\sqrt{x}?[\/latex] State the domains of both the function and the inverse function.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/osprecalc\/chapter\/solutions-6\/\" target=\"_blank\">Solution<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-1032\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Precalculus. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Jay Abramson, et al.. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: OpenStax. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/fd53eae1-fa23-47c7-bb1b-972349835c3c@5.175\">http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/fd53eae1-fa23-47c7-bb1b-972349835c3c@5.175<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Download For Free at : http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/fd53eae1-fa23-47c7-bb1b-972349835c3c@5.175.<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":276,"menu_order":4,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Precalculus\",\"author\":\"Jay Abramson, et al.\",\"organization\":\"OpenStax\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/fd53eae1-fa23-47c7-bb1b-972349835c3c@5.175\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"Download For Free at : http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/fd53eae1-fa23-47c7-bb1b-972349835c3c@5.175.\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-1032","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":1022,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytech-collegealgebra\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytech-collegealgebra\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytech-collegealgebra\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytech-collegealgebra\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/276"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytech-collegealgebra\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2467,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytech-collegealgebra\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1032\/revisions\/2467"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytech-collegealgebra\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/1022"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytech-collegealgebra\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1032\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytech-collegealgebra\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytech-collegealgebra\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1032"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytech-collegealgebra\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1032"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytech-collegealgebra\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}