The function f(x)=−3x

is reflected over a line and results in the equation f(x)=3x
. Identify the equation for the line of reflection.(1 point)
The line of reflection is y=

.

1 answer

To find the line of reflection that transforms the function \( f(x) = -3x \) into \( f(x) = 3x \), we need to find a line such that when the graph of the first function is reflected over it, it will yield the graph of the second function.

  1. Identify the slopes: The slope of \( f(x) = -3x \) is -3, and the slope of \( f(x) = 3x \) is 3. The line of reflection must bisect the angle between the two lines.

  2. Calculate the slope of the line of reflection: The average of the two slopes (-3 and 3) is: \[ m = \frac{-3 + 3}{2} = 0 \] This means the line of reflection is horizontal.

  3. Find the y-coordinate: The line of reflection will be at the midpoint of the y-values of the two points on the lines for any value of \( x \). Specifically, we can choose \( x = 0 \) (the y-intercept), where:

    • For \( f(x) = -3x \), \( f(0) = 0 \).
    • For \( f(x) = 3x \), \( f(0) = 0 \). The midpoint of \( 0 \) (y-intercept) is \( 0 \).

Thus, the equation of the line of reflection is:

\[ y = 0 \]

So, the answer is: \[ \text{The line of reflection is } y = 0. \]