• Want to level up your HSC prep on those harder Maths questions?
    Register now for the BoS Trials (7th October)!

Inverse (1 Viewer)

lyounamu

Reborn
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
9,987
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
When you find the intersection between inverse functions, how do you come about approaching this?

For example, if I have f(x) = square root of (x+6) and f-1(x) = x^2 - 6,

I just substitutde f(x) value in for the x value in f-1(x). Would it be correct to do so?
 

Dota55

Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2008
Messages
114
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
get one of the equations and equate it with y=x.

:)
 

Aerath

Retired
Joined
May 10, 2007
Messages
10,167
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Wouldn't it be easier to find where either the forward function or inverse function intersects with y = x?

Edit: Or do what Dota55 said. :p
 

lyounamu

Reborn
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
9,987
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
No, that's not what I meant. I already found both inverse and the normal one.

Now, I want to find the intersection between these two graphs.
 

conics2008

Active Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2008
Messages
1,225
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
key things to remmeber are.

f(x) domain >> f-1(x)= range
f(x) range >> F-1(x) domain

thats how you find intercepts.
 

lyounamu

Reborn
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
9,987
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
...

What I am trying to find is the interesection between the two graphs when they have an intersection. I know how to find it but I am just not sure if I can just say

f(x) = square root of (x+6) and the inverse f-1(x) = x^2 - 6.

Therefore, substitute f(x) into the value of x in f-1(x).

Therefore, the intersection is (square root of (x-6))^2 - 6 = x.
 

Aerath

Retired
Joined
May 10, 2007
Messages
10,167
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
If I'm understanding your question correctly - I think it would be right to equate f(x) = f-1(x), however, it's just (relatively) long and complicated. You might as well just equate f(x) = x
 

lyounamu

Reborn
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
9,987
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
Charity F said:
Ok, this is what i think you've got:

Two eqns, both independent of each other, but which share a special relationship (being the inverse of each other). So essentially:

y = (x + 6)^1/2 ...... (1)
y = x^2 -6 .............. (2)

To find the pt of intersection, you'd equate the two:

(x + 6)^1/2 = x^2 -6

and you'd get:

x^4 - 12x^2 - x + 30 = 0. :eek:

But what you're asking is whether you can sub y(1) into eqn(2). (refering to post #6)
Which means you'd be subbing y(1) into x(2), do you see?

Which is incorrect.

Am i making sense?
I should have said the equation of the intersection. I seriously get the terms wrong all the time. What I wanted to find was the equation of the intersection of the two graphs.
 

conics2008

Active Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2008
Messages
1,225
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
Here use this roots

x=-2 and x=3 ( you get them by looking at 30 )

(x+2)(X-3) = X^2-X-6

DIVIDE BY x^4 - 12x^2 - x + 30 =0

which gives u (x^2-x-6)(x^2+x-5)

there fore you can get x=-2 x=3

now work on x^2+x-5

-1+root of 21 /2 or -1-root of 21/2

basically if you want the equation. find the gradient of the curve by dy/dx and then get graident .. you use these points. make sure you get y value aswell..

remember with your graph there are only 2 which are 3 and find the one which is one of the root thingy.
 
Last edited:

shadyhaze

Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2007
Messages
36
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
huh? intersection is when f(x) or f-1(x) = x
so x² - 6 = x
x² - x - 6 = 0
(x-3)(x+2)= 0
x = 3, -2
however f(-2) = root -4
therefore f(-2) is not a solution
at f(3) = root 3+6 = 3
point of intersection = (3,3)
i dont understand what other ppl are doing :S
 

Aerath

Retired
Joined
May 10, 2007
Messages
10,167
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
shadyhaze said:
huh? intersection is when f(x) or f-1(x) = x
Well, that's what most of us thought, but then Lyounamu said that that wasn't what he was looking for. =\
 

lyounamu

Reborn
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
9,987
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
Aerath said:
Well, that's what most of us thought, but then Lyounamu said that that wasn't what he was looking for. =\
It really was a random question from some random paper. I really didn't get what it was asking but I figured that out after long consideration. Thanks. No worries.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top