Chapter 1: Problem 9
If you have the graph of \(y=f(x),\) how do you obtain the graph of \(y=f(3 x) ?\)
Short Answer
Expert verified
Answer: The transformation applied is a horizontal compression by a factor of 3.
Step by step solution
01
Identify the transformation
The given function is \(y = f(3x)\). This indicates a horizontal compression (or "squishing") of the graph of \(y=f(x)\). The horizontal compression is determined by the coefficient of \(x\) inside the function, which is 3 in this case.
02
Apply horizontal compression
To obtain the graph of \(y = f(3x)\), we need to compress the original graph of \(y = f(x)\) horizontally by a factor of 3. This means that each point \((x, y)\) on the graph of \(y=f(x)\) transforms to the point \(\left(\frac{x}{3}, y\right)\) on the graph of \(y=f(3x)\).
03
Plot the transformed points
Now, plot the transformed points \(\left(\frac{x}{3}, y\right)\) on the graph. Connect these points to create the curve of \(y=f(3x)\). This new curve represents the horizontally compressed graph.
To summarize, the graph of \(y=f(3x)\) is obtained by horizontally compressing the graph of \(y=f(x)\) by a factor of 3, which involves transforming each point \((x, y)\) on the original graph to the point \(\left(\frac{x}{3}, y\right)\) on the new graph.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Horizontal Compression
Horizontal compression occurs when we modify a function by multiplying the variable inside its function argument by a factor greater than one. For example, in the function \( y = f(3x) \), the factor 3 causes the graph to compress horizontally. Imagine you have a rubber band stretched between your fingers, with marks at regular intervals. A horizontal compression would be like pushing your fingers closer together. The marks get closer, similarly to how points on a graph move closer along the x-axis.
- The effect of multiplying by 3 inside the function means "compress the graph by a factor of 1/3".
- This is because you are stretching or squeezing the function horizontally to fit the same x-shape into a space that’s only a third as wide.
Function Graph
A function graph visually expresses the relationship between input values (x) and output values (y). It's like a roadmap showing all the points of a function. For example, the graph of \( y = f(x) \) shows all the solutions of y for each given x. When drawing the graph of \( y = f(x) \), we observe the behavior of y depending on x. Whether it peaks or dips lets us understand the function's changes.
- The graph of any function serves as a powerful visual tool to comprehend the function's overall trend and distinctive characteristics, such as maxima or minima.
- Transformations, like moving or squeezing the graph, help us focus on certain features or behavior changes.
Coordinate Transformations
Coordinate transformations are changes applied to each point in a graph to create a new graph. By altering the coordinates of each point in a graph, we reshape it. In the example of \( y = f(3x) \), the points \((x, y)\) from \( y = f(x) \) change to \(\left( \frac{x}{3}, y \right)\). Here’s how it works:
- Look at each point on the original graph \((x, y)\).
- Calculate the new x-coordinate by dividing the original x by 3, which is \( \frac{x}{3} \).
- The y-coordinate stays the same since it's unaffected by horizontal compression.