What is the effect that "a" has on the function f(x) = a(x - h) + k if -1 < a < 1?

Question

Group of answer choices

“a” is a compression

“a” is a stretch

“a” is a translation factor

“a” is a vertical translation factor

There is no correct answer.

Answer 1

In the function \( f(x) = a(x - h) + k \), the parameter \( a \) determines how the graph of the function is stretched or compressed vertically.

When \( -1 < a < 1 \), the value of \( a \) indicates that the function is vertically compressed. This means that the output values of the function will be "squished" closer to the x-axis, making the graph appear flatter than it would be if \( a \) were equal to 1.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

“a” is a compression.