2.

Inverse Functions

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

 One-to-One Functions and
Their Inverses

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Objectives
► One-to-One Functions

► The Inverse of a Function

► Graphing the Inverse of a Function

3
One-to-One Functions and Their Inverses
The inverse of a function is a rule that acts on the output of
the function and produces the corresponding input.

So the inverse “undoes” or reverses what the function has

done. Not all functions have inverses; those that do are
called one-to-one.

4
One-to-One Functions

5
One-to-One Functions
Let’s compare the functions f and g whose arrow diagrams
are shown in Figure 1.

f is one-to-one g is not one-to-one

Figure 1

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One-to-One Functions
Note that f never takes on the same value twice (any two
numbers in A have different images), whereas g does take
on the same value twice (both 2 and 3 have the same
image, 4).

In symbols, g (2) = g (3) but f (x1) ≠ f (x2) whenever x1 ≠ x2.

Functions that have this latter property are called
one-to-one.

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One-to-One Functions

An equivalent way of writing the condition for a one-to-one

function is this:

If f (x1) = f (x2), then x1 = x2.

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One-to-One Functions
If a horizontal line intersects the graph of f at more than
one point, then we see from Figure 2 that there are
numbers x1 ≠ x2 such that f (x1) = f (x2) .

This function is not one-to-one because f (x1) = f (x2).

Figure 2

This means that f is not one to one.

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One-to-One Functions
Therefore, we have the following geometric method for
determining whether a function is one-to-one.

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Example 1 – Deciding Whether a Function Is One-to-One

Is the function f(x) = x3 one-to-one?

Solution 1:
If x1 ≠ x2, then (two different numbers cannot have
the same cube). Therefore, f (x) = x3 is one-to-one.

Solution 2:
From Figure 3 we see that no
horizontal line intersects the
graph of f (x) = x3 more than
once. Therefore, by the
Horizontal Line Test,
f is one-to-one. f(x) = x3 is one-to-one.

Figure 3 11
One-to-One Functions
Notice that the function f of Example 1 is increasing and is
also one-to-one. In fact, it can be proved that every
increasing function and every decreasing function is
one-to-one.

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The Inverse of a Function

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The Inverse of a Function
One-to-one functions are important because they are
precisely the functions that possess inverse functions
according to the following definition.

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The Inverse of a Function
This definition says that if f takes x to y, then f –1 takes y
back to x. (If f were not one-to-one, then f –1 would not be
defined uniquely.) The arrow diagram in Figure 6 indicates
that f –1 reverses the effect of f. From the definition we have

domain of f –1 = range of f
range of f –1 = domain of f

Figure 6
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Example 4 – Finding f –1 for Specific Values

If f (1) = 5, f (3) = 7, and f (8) = –10, find f –1(5), f –1(7), and

f –1(–10).

Solution:
From the definition of f –1 we have

f –1(5) = 1 because f (1) = 5

f –1(7) = 3 because f (3) = 7
f –1(–10) = 8 because f (8) = –10

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Example 4 – Solution cont’d

Figure 7 shows how f –1 reverses the effect of f in this case.

Figure 7

Don’t mistake the –1 in f –1 for an exponent.

f –1(x) does not mean
The reciprocal 1/f(x) is written as (f(x))–1.
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The Inverse of a Function
By definition the inverse function f –1 undoes what f does: If
we start with x, apply f, and then apply f –1, we arrive back
at x, where we started. Similarly, f undoes what f –1 does. In
general, any function that reverses the effect of f in this way
must be the inverse of f. These observations are expressed
precisely as follows.

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The Inverse of a Function
These properties indicate that f is the inverse function of
f –1, so we say that f and f –1 are inverses of each other.

Now let’s examine how we compute inverse functions. We

first observe from the definition of f –1 that
y = f (x) f –1(y) = x

So if y = f (x) and if we are able to solve this equation for x

in terms of y, then we must have x = f –1(y). If we then
interchange x and y, we have y = f –1(x), which is the
desired equation.

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The Inverse of a Function

Note that Steps 2 and 3 can be reversed. In other words,

we can interchange x and y first and then solve for y in
terms of x.

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Example 6 – Finding the Inverse of a Function

Find the inverse of the function f (x) = 3x – 2.

Solution:
First we write y = f (x).

y = 3x – 2

Then we solve this equation for x.

3x = y + 2 Add 2

Divide by 3

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Example 6 – Solution cont’d

Finally, we interchange x and y.

Therefore, the inverse function is f –1(x) = .

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The Inverse of a Function
A rational function is a function defined by a rational
expression. In the next example we find the inverse of a
rational function.

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Example 8 – Finding the Inverse of a Rational Function

Find the inverse of the function

Solution:
First we write y = (2x + 3)/(x – 1) and solve for x.

Equation defining function

y (x – 1) = 2x + 3 Multiply by x – 1

yx – y = 2x + 3 Expand

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Example 8 – Solution

yx – 2x = y + 3 Bring x-terms to LHS

x (y – 2) = y + 3 Factor x

x= Divide by y – 2

Therefore the inverse function is f –1(x) =

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Graphing the Inverse
of a Function

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Graphing the Inverse of a Function
The principle of interchanging x and y to find the inverse
function also gives us a method for obtaining the graph of
f –1 from the graph of f.

If f (a) = b , then f –1(b) = a. Thus, the point (a, b) is on the

graph of f if and only if the point (b, a) is on the graph
of f –1.

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Graphing the Inverse of a Function
But we get the point (b, a) from the point (a, b) by reflecting
in the line y = x (see Figure 8). Therefore, as Figure 9
illustrates, the following is true.

Figure 8 Figure 9
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Example 9 – Graphing the Inverse of a Function

(a) Sketch the graph of f (x) = .

(b) Use the graph of f to sketch the graph of f –1.

(c) Find an equation for f –1.

Solution:
(a) We sketch the graph of by plotting the
graph of the function y = and moving it to the
right 2 units.

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Example 9 – Solution cont’d

(b) The graph of f –1 is obtained from the graph of f in

part (a) by reflecting it in the line y = x, as shown in
Figure 10.

Figure 10

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Example 9 – Solution cont’d

(c) Solve for y = for x, noting that y  0.

=y

x – 2 = y2 Square each side

Add 2
x = y2 + 2 y0

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Example 9 – Solution cont’d

Interchange x and y:

y = x2 + 2 x0

Thus
f –1 = x2 + 2

This expression shows that the

graph of f –1 is the right half of the
parabola y = x2 + 2, and from the
graph shown in Figure 10, this
seems reasonable.
Figure 10

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