- #1
- 1,114
- 630
Introduction
Being a somewhat geeky Maths ‘nerd’, I spent days leading up to Valentine’s day trying to find a Maths function appropriate to the day. In the end, I did not find an appropriate single function but (perhaps aptly enough) a pair: function and inverse function. It occurred to me that these provide a good opportunity to illustrate a number of simple mathematical transformations involving reflections in the x-axis, y-axis, and both x-axis and y-axis. Whilst the inverse function itself illustrates reflection in the line y=x.
The Function (and its Inverse)
So here is the pair of graphs I initially settled upon: $$y=-x(x-4)$$ and $$x=-y(y-4).$$ As can be seen, there is some semblance of a heart shape formed by the function and its inverse. Perhaps not quite what Valentine card designers would be looking for!
![]()
It intrigued me to note that this particular function and its inverse have 4 points...
Continue reading...
Attachments
Last edited: