Describe the change in the graph of f(x)=x.

g(x)=−f(x+2)


A negative sign outside the function notation shows reflection over the y-axis. There is also an upward translation on the y-axis by 2 units.

A negative sign outside the function notation shows reflection over the x-axis. There is also a translation to the left on the x-axis by 2 units.

A negative sign outside the function notation shows reflection over the x-axis. There is also an upward translation on the y-axis by 2 units.

A negative sign inside the function notation shows reflection over the y-axis. There is also a translation to the right on the x-axis by 2 units.

1 answer

To analyze the transformation applied to the function \( f(x) = x \) to obtain \( g(x) = -f(x+2) \), we can break down the transformation step by step:

  1. Start with \( f(x) = x \): This is the original linear function, which is a straight line through the origin with a slope of 1.

  2. Horizontal Shift: The expression \( f(x + 2) \) represents a horizontal shift to the left by 2 units. This changes the function to \( f(x + 2) = x + 2 \).

  3. Reflection: The negative sign outside the function, \( -f(x + 2) \), reflects the function over the x-axis. This means that the output (y-value) is inverted. So, we have \( g(x) = -(x + 2) = -x - 2 \).

  4. Vertical Shift: The reflection does not introduce an upward translation; in fact, it moves the function downward because of the negative sign applied to the entire function \( f \).

Considering the transformations:

  • The translation is to the left by 2 units due to \( (x + 2) \).
  • The reflection is over the x-axis due to the negative sign in front of the function.

From the provided options, the correct description of the change in the graph of \( f(x) = x \) to \( g(x) = -f(x + 2) \) is:

A negative sign outside the function notation shows reflection over the x-axis. There is also a translation to the left on the x-axis by 2 units.