Lesson : Inverse Functions
Activity 1
Determine whether the following mappings represent one-to-one, one-to-many,
many-to-many or many-to-one. Write OTO if one-to-one, OTM if one-to-many,
MTM if many-to-many or MTO if many-to-one
One to One Function
The term one to one relationship actually refers to relationships between any two
items in which one can only belong with only one other item. In a mathematical
sense, these relationships can be referred to as one to one functions, in which there
are equal numbers of items, or one item can only be paired with only one other item.
The name of a person and the reserved seat number of that person in a train is a
simple daily life example of one to one function.
One-to-One Relationship Examples in Everyday Life
• One family lives in one house, and the house contains one family.
• One person has one passport, and the passport can only be used by one
person.
• One person has one ID number, and the ID number is unique to one person.
• A person owns one dog, and the dog is owned by one person.
• In monogamous relationships, one person has one partner, who is only
partnered with that person.
• Each student must complete one worksheet (and the worksheet can only be
completed by one student).
• One student can check out a book from the library (and the library book can
be checked out by one student at a time).
• Each student gets to buy one lunch from the cafeteria
(and each lunch can only be purchased by one student).
• Each small group in the class must complete a project about one country
(and that country can only be researched by one small group in the class).
• Each student gets one desk (which can only be sat in by one student)
Inverse Functions
A relation reversing the process performed by any function f(x) is called inverse of
f(x). This means that the domain of the inverse is the range of the original function
and that the range of the inverse is the domain of the original function.
Example
Original Function: y = 2x – 1
Inverse : y = 2x – 1
Inverse of one-to-one function
Let f be one to one with domain A and range B. Then the inverse of f, denoted 𝑓 −1
is a function with domain B and range A defined by 𝑓 −1 (𝑦) = 𝑥 if and only if
f(x)=y for any y in B.
A function has an inverse if and only if it is one to one. Inverting the x and y values
of a function results in a function if and only if the original function is one to one.
Example
To find the inverse of a one-to-one function:
Step 1: Determine the function has an inverse. It should be one to one function.
You may graph the function and apply horizontal line test. Proceed to step 2 if it is.
If the function is not one-to-one, then its inverse does not exist.
Step 2: Replace f(x) with y
Step 3: Interchange x and y
Step 4: Solve for y
Step 5: Replace y with 𝑓 −1 (x)
Example 1.
Find the inverse of f(x) = 3x + 1
Completing the table of Original and Inverse Function
Example
Original Function: f(x) = 2x – 1
• Substitute all the x values on the original function to get all the y-values.
Since, the y-values are important in completing the table for inverse function
because it serve as the domain/x-values in the inverse.
f(x) = 2x – 1 f(x) = 2x – 1 f(x) = 2x – 1 f(x) = 2x – 1 f(x) = 2x – 1
f(1) = 2(1) – 1 f(2) = 2(2) – 1 f(3) = 2(3) – 1 f(4) = 2(4) – 1 f(5) = 2(5) – 1
f(1) = 2 – 1 f(2) = 4 – 1 f(3) = 6 – 1 f(4) = 8 – 1 f(5) = 10 – 1
f(1) = 1 f(2) = 3 f(3) = 5 f(4) = 7 f(5) = 9
x 1 2 3 4 5
y 1 3 5 7 9
Inverse : f(x) = 2x – 1
• Write the y-values on the original function on the x-values in the table of
inverse function. Then, get the inverse of the original function.
• Use the inverse function to identify the sets of all y-values by substituting
the x-values on the table.
f(x) = 2x – 1
y = 2x – 1
x = 2y – 1
𝑥 + 1 = 2𝑦
𝑥 + 1 2𝑦
=
2 2
𝑥+1
=𝑦
2
𝑥+1 𝑥+1 𝑥+1 𝑥+1 𝑥+1
=𝑦 =𝑦 =𝑦 =𝑦 =𝑦
2 2 2 2 2
1+1 3+1 5+1 7+1 9+1
=𝑦 =𝑦 =𝑦 =𝑦 =𝑦
2 2 2 2 2
2 4 6 8 10
=𝑦 =𝑦 =𝑦 =𝑦 =𝑦
2 2 2 2 2
𝟏=𝒚 𝟐=𝒚 𝟑=𝒚 𝟒=𝒚 𝟓=𝒚
x 1 3 5 7 9
y 1 2 3 4 5
Activity 4.
Complete the table given the original function; f(x) = 3x - 2
Original Function f(x)
x 0 1 2
Inverse Function 𝒇−𝟏 (𝒙)
