The function f\text{f} is defined by f:x↦x2+4x\text{f} : x \mapsto \frac{x^2 + 4}{x}, x∈Rx \in \mathbb{R}.

  1. (a)

    Give a reason why f\text{f} does not have an inverse.

  2. (b)

    The domain is now restricted to 0<x≤20 < x \le 2. Find f−1(x)\text{f}^{-1}(x) and state its domain, showing your working clearly.

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Worked solution

4(a)

1. Demonstrate that the function is not one-to-one by providing a counterexample.

Evaluate f(x)\text{f}(x) for two different values of xx, for instance x=1x=1 and x=4x=4:
f(1)=12+41=5\text{f}(1) = \frac{1^2 + 4}{1} = 5
f(4)=42+44=5\text{f}(4) = \frac{4^2 + 4}{4} = 5
Since f(1)=f(4)\text{f}(1) = \text{f}(4), there are distinct values of xx that map to the same value of yy. Therefore, f\text{f} is not a one-to-one function (it is a many-to-one function), and hence does not have an inverse.

Answer

f\text{f} is not a one-to-one function.

4(b)

1. Set $y = \mathrm{f}(x)$ and rearrange into a quadratic equation in $x$.

y=x2+4xy = \frac{x^2 + 4}{x}
xy=x2+4xy = x^2 + 4
x2−yx+4=0x^2 - yx + 4 = 0

2. Solve for $x$ in terms of $y$ using the quadratic formula.

x=−(−y)±(−y)2−4(1)(4)2(1)x = \frac{-(-y) \pm \sqrt{(-y)^2 - 4(1)(4)}}{2(1)}
x=y±y2−162x = \frac{y \pm \sqrt{y^2 - 16}}{2}

3. Determine the correct sign for the square root based on the restricted domain.

Since the domain is restricted to 0<x≤20 < x \le 2, we can verify which sign to take by substituting a value within the domain. Let's test x=1x = 1, which gives y=12+41=5y = \frac{1^2 + 4}{1} = 5.
Using the positive root: x=5+25−162=4x = \frac{5 + \sqrt{25 - 16}}{2} = 4 (Reject, since 4∉(0,2]4 \notin (0, 2]).
Using the negative root: x=5−25−162=1x = \frac{5 - \sqrt{25 - 16}}{2} = 1 (Accept).
Therefore, we must take the negative root:
x=y−y2−162x = \frac{y - \sqrt{y^2 - 16}}{2}

4. Find the range of $\mathrm{f}$ for the restricted domain to state the domain of $\mathrm{f}^{-1}$.

To find the range of f\mathrm{f} for 0<x≤20 < x \le 2:
f(x)=x+4x\mathrm{f}(x) = x + \frac{4}{x}
f′(x)=1−4x2=x2−4x2\mathrm{f}'(x) = 1 - \frac{4}{x^2} = \frac{x^2 - 4}{x^2}
For 0<x<20 < x < 2, x2−4<0x^2 - 4 < 0, so f′(x)<0\mathrm{f}'(x) < 0. Thus, f\mathrm{f} is strictly decreasing.
At x=2x = 2, f(2)=4\mathrm{f}(2) = 4.
As x→0+x \to 0^+, f(x)→∞\mathrm{f}(x) \to \infty.
Thus, the range of f\mathrm{f} is y≥4y \ge 4.
(Alternatively, since xx is real, the discriminant y2−16≥0  ⟹  y≤−4 or y≥4y^2 - 16 \ge 0 \implies y \le -4 \text{ or } y \ge 4. Since x>0x>0, y>0y>0, so y≥4y \ge 4.)

5. State the final expression for the inverse function and its domain.

f−1(x)=x−x2−162\mathrm{f}^{-1}(x) = \frac{x - \sqrt{x^2 - 16}}{2}
Domain: x≥4x \ge 4

Answer

f−1(x)=x−x2−162\mathrm{f}^{-1}(x) = \frac{x - \sqrt{x^2 - 16}}{2}, for x≥4x \ge 4

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