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One Point, The Graph Fails The Vertical Line Test

The document discusses the vertical line test and how it can be used to determine if a graph represents a function. It provides examples of graphs that pass and fail the test, such as circles always failing it since a vertical line can cross a circle at multiple points.

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İlhan Burak Özhan
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© © All Rights Reserved
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25 views

One Point, The Graph Fails The Vertical Line Test

The document discusses the vertical line test and how it can be used to determine if a graph represents a function. It provides examples of graphs that pass and fail the test, such as circles always failing it since a vertical line can cross a circle at multiple points.

Uploaded by

İlhan Burak Özhan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Topic: Vertical Line Test

Question: If a perfectly straight vertical line crosses a graph at more than


one point, the graph fails the Vertical Line Test.

Answer choices:

A True

B False

1
Solution: A

A graph passes the Vertical Line Test if it’s impossible to draw a perfectly
straight vertical line that crosses the graph more than once.

If you can draw a perfectly straight vertical line that crosses the graph
more than once, then the graph fails the Vertical Line Test, and the graph
does not represent a function.

2
Topic: Vertical Line Test

Question: Which of the following will never pass the Vertical Line Test and
therefore can never represent a function?

Answer choices:

A A horizontal line

B A graph that consists of six points all of which have different x


-coordinates

C A “slanted” line (neither vertical nor horizontal)

D A circle

3
Solution: D

A graph fails the Vertical Line Test when you can draw a vertical line that
crosses the graph more than once. Since you’ll always be able to draw a
vertical line that crosses the graph of a circle more than once, a circle will
always fail the Vertical Line Test, and therefore can never represent a
function.

4
Topic: Vertical Line Test

Question: Does the graph of the equation pass the Vertical Line Test?

2x 2 + 2y 2 = 18

Answer choices:

A Yes, because 2x 2 + 2y 2 = 18 is a function.

B No, because 2x 2 + 2y 2 = 18 is a function.

C No, because 2x 2 + 2y 2 = 18 is not a function.

D Yes, because 2x 2 + 2y 2 = 18 is not a function.

5
Solution: C

In order for a graph to pass the Vertical Line Test, it must be the graph of
a function, because only functions pass the Vertical Line Test. The test is
simply that a vertical line drawn at any point in the graph must only pass
through it once.

The equation 2x 2 + 2y 2 = 18 is a circle. The graph of a circle allows for a


vertical line to pass through it twice at many points, which means it
automatically fails the Vertical Line Test. This means that a circle is not a
function.

We could also solve the equation algebraically to prove that it doesn’t


represent a function.

2x 2 + 2y 2 = 18

2x 2 2y 2 18
+ =
2 2 2

x2 + y2 = 9

x2 − x2 + y2 = 9 − x2

y2 = 9 − x2

y2 = 9 − x2

y=± 9 − x2

Now that we have the equation in this form, we can find values of x that
return multiple y-values. For instance, at x = 1,

6
y=± 9 − 12

y=± 8

y =±2 2

Because the equation takes on the values y = − 2 2 and y = 2 2 at the


single value x = 1, we know the equation doesn’t represent a function.

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