Question

Which value can fill in the blank in the function f(x) = ____|x| to make its graph wider than that of the parent function, f(x) = |x|?

–1

1
4

Answer 1

None of them.

To make y = a|x| wider than y = |x| you need |a| < 1 (a vertical compression).
- a = 1 or a = −1 leaves the width unchanged (|a| = 1).
- a = 4 makes it narrower (|a| = 4).

Example that works: a = 1/2 (or 1/4).