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MAT265 - 3.1 - Derivatives of Inverse Functions

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MAT265 - 3.1 - Derivatives of Inverse Functions

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sarastudent42
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Derivatives of Inverse Functions

 Functions are critical for modeling phenomena of the natural world.

 A function often assigns one number to another number via some process.
Reversing this process proves useful in many situations and creates a
related function called the inverse of the function.

 We can express how the inverse of a particular function changes in terms


of how the original function changes.

Functions

A function is a mathematical object we use to represent some process. To


specify a function, we need THREE THINGS:

1. A set of inputs –

2. A set of outputs –

3. A rule of correspondence that assigns a _____________________ output to each


input.

The last point above is crucial. We do NOT want ambiguity in results when trying to
predict phenomena in nature.

Example: What is the domain and range of 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝐬𝐢𝐧(𝒙)?

MAT265 – More Intricate Derivatives and Differentiation Rules 1


Derivatives of Inverse Functions
1
Example: 𝑓(𝑥) = , 𝑔(𝑥) = 𝑥 2 . Find the domain and range of (𝑓 ∘ 𝑔)(𝑥).
𝑥

Example: A circular puddle of water starts off with a radius of 1 inch and the radius
of the puddle grows at a constant rate of 0.25 inches per second for 5 seconds.
Construct a function that gives the area of the circular puddle of water after 𝒕
(time) in seconds have elapsed. What are the domain and range of the area
function in the context of this problem? (Hint: Area of circle is 𝜋𝑟 2 )

The initial radius is 1 inch, and the radius grows as 𝒕 (time) increases. The initial
area is 𝝅 in2 , and it grows as 𝒕 (time) increases as well.

Domain of 𝐴:

Smallest possible value of t:

Largest possible value of t:

Range of 𝐴:

Smallest possible value of A:

Largest possible value of A:

Note: The mathematical domain and range of a function are NOT always the same
as the domain and range in a certain context. (For example, the length of
something cannot be negative in the real world.)

MAT265 – More Intricate Derivatives and Differentiation Rules 2


Derivatives of Inverse Functions
Inverse Functions
Recall, a function is a mathematical object that has some process of assigning
output values to input values in such a way that each output is assigned to a unique
input.

Inverse Function

If 𝒇 is a function, the inverse function of 𝒇, denoted 𝒇−𝟏 , is a


function that undoes the process of 𝒇.

e.g., 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 + 3, rule: “add three”

𝑓 −1 (𝑦) = 𝑦 − 3, rule: “subtract three”

Inverse functions can be described by the following property:

𝑓(𝑓 −1 (𝑦)) =

𝑓 −1 (𝑓(𝑥 )) =

The equations above depict two equivalent ways of saying the same information:

“The output of 𝑓 when plugging in 𝑥 is 𝑦.”

“The output of 𝑓 −1 when plugging in 𝑦 is 𝑥.”

MAT265 – More Intricate Derivatives and Differentiation Rules 3


Derivatives of Inverse Functions
Since an inverse function reverses the process of the original function, the role
of input and output swap when moving from a function to its inverse. That is:

Which functions will have inverses?

▪ 𝑓 is invertible (has an inverse) provided every output of 𝑓 has exactly ONE


corresponding input. Such a function is called 1-1 or one-to-one.

▪ Graphically, we can use the horizontal line test to see whether a function
has an inverse. If any horizontal line cuts across the graph more than once,
then the function is NOT 1-1 and will NOT have an inverse.

Example: Does 𝑓(𝑥) = 2𝑥 + 7 have an inverse?

Example: Does ℎ(𝑥) = 𝑥 2 have an inverse?

Example: Determine 𝑓 −1 , if it exists, for 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 3 + 2.

MAT265 – More Intricate Derivatives and Differentiation Rules 4


Derivatives of Inverse Functions
What do inverses look like?

Note: The graph of an inverse function is the graph of the original function reflected
across the line y=x.

MAT265 – More Intricate Derivatives and Differentiation Rules 5


Derivatives of Inverse Functions
Derivatives of Inverse Functions

Suppose we want to find the derivative of an inverse function at some value. Our
first thought might be to first find the inverse function and then take its derivative,
right? But what if we don’t want to (or can’t) do that? Well, we can go directly from a
function to the derivative of its inverse by using the derivative of the function!

We have relationships among functions, derivatives and inverses. For an


invertible function, 𝑓, we can determine the derivative of 𝑓 −1 at 𝑥 = 𝑎 according to:

𝑓 𝑓’

𝑓 −1 (𝑓 −1 )′

Notice, we need two things to determine the derivative above:

1. The inverse image of 𝑎 under 𝑓:

2. The derivative of 𝑓:

MAT265 – More Intricate Derivatives and Differentiation Rules 6


Derivatives of Inverse Functions
Example: Determine (𝑓 −1 )′(1) for 𝑓(𝑥) = 2𝑥 + cos(3𝑥).

1. Determine ______________. We need to determine the input of 𝑓 that gives an output


value of 1.

2. Determine ______________. We need to determine the derivative of 𝑓

So, the inverse of the original function has a derivative of ½ at x = 1…and we found
that out without ever explicitly finding the inverse function!

MAT265 – More Intricate Derivatives and Differentiation Rules 7


Derivatives of Inverse Functions
Example: Suppose we have a function ℎ for which ℎ(𝑎) = 𝑏 and ℎ′(𝑎) = 4.
Determine (ℎ−1 )′(𝑏), if possible.

1. Determine _____________. We need to determine the input of ℎ that gives an output


value of 𝑏.

2. Determine _________________. (Note: Since we only need to evaluate the derivative at


a single value, we don’t need to determine the entire derivative!)

Note: If we had not been given the exact information we needed, we could not have
answered the question.

MAT265 – More Intricate Derivatives and Differentiation Rules 8


Derivatives of Inverse Functions

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