To find the inverse of the function f ( x ) = 2 x + 5 , we first replace f ( x ) with y , swap x and y , and solve for y . This gives us the inverse function, f − 1 ( x ) = 2 x − 5 . This inverse can be verified through function composition.
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Replace f ( x ) with y to get y = 2 x + 5 .
Swap x and y to get x = 2 y + 5 .
Solve for y to find y = 2 x − 5 .
Replace y with f − 1 ( x ) , so f − 1 ( x ) = 2 x − 5 .
Explanation
Understanding the Problem We are given the function f ( x ) = 2 x + 5 and we want to find its inverse, denoted as f − 1 ( x ) . The inverse function essentially 'undoes' what the original function does.
Finding the Inverse Function To find the inverse function, we follow these steps:
Replace f ( x ) with y : y = 2 x + 5 .
Swap x and y : x = 2 y + 5 .
Solve for y in terms of x :
x = 2 y + 5
Subtract 5 from both sides:
x − 5 = 2 y
Divide both sides by 2:
y = 2 x − 5
Replace y with f − 1 ( x ) : f − 1 ( x ) = 2 x − 5 .
Verifying the Inverse Function To verify that f − 1 ( x ) = 2 x − 5 is indeed the inverse of f ( x ) = 2 x + 5 , we can check if f ( f − 1 ( x )) = x and f − 1 ( f ( x )) = x .
Let's calculate f ( f − 1 ( x )) :
f ( f − 1 ( x )) = f ( 2 x − 5 ) = 2 ( 2 x − 5 ) + 5 = ( x − 5 ) + 5 = x
Now, let's calculate f − 1 ( f ( x )) :
f − 1 ( f ( x )) = f − 1 ( 2 x + 5 ) = 2 ( 2 x + 5 ) − 5 = 2 2 x = x
Since both compositions result in x , the inverse function is correct.
Final Answer Therefore, the inverse function of f ( x ) = 2 x + 5 is f − 1 ( x ) = 2 x − 5 .
Examples
Imagine you're converting temperatures from Celsius to Fahrenheit using the formula F = 5 9 C + 32 . The inverse function would convert Fahrenheit back to Celsius. This is useful in many real-world scenarios, such as adjusting thermostats or understanding weather reports from different countries. Understanding inverse functions helps you reverse a process and go from the output back to the input, which is a fundamental concept in science and engineering.