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Think about the horizontal transformations before you think about any vertical transformations.
Make a table of values to find points on the graph.
A reflection in the y-axis.
A horizontal translation 4 units to the right.
A vertical shrink by a factor of 2.
A vertical translation 1 unit up.
We are given the following absolute value equation.
g(x)=|- 12x+2|+1
This is a transformation of the parent function y=|x|. To see how each of the parameters is affecting the parent function, it will be helpful to rewrite it first.
g(x)=|- 12x+2|+1
⇕
g(x)=|- 12 ( x-4)|+1
First, we can do a reflection in the y-axis. This will transform the graph of the parent function, y=|x|, to the graph of y=|- x|. Notice that, since the graph of y=|x| is symmetrical about y-axis, this will not change how it looks.
Now, let's do a horizontal translation 4 units to the right. Then the graph of y=|- x| becomes y=|-(x-4)|.
Next, we will do a vertical shrink by a factor of 2. This transforms the graph of y=|-(x-4)| to the graph of y= 12|-(x-4)| ⇔ y=|- 12(x-4)|.
Finally, we have a vertical translation 1 unit up. From y=|- 12(x-4)| we get the final graph, y=|- 12(x-4)|+1.
Notice that there are many ways to obtain the graph of our function transforming the graph of its parent function. Here we considered only one of the many possibilities.
To graph the function without going through the entire process of transforming the parent function, we can make a table of values. Then we only need to plot the ordered pairs that we find.
| x | |-1/2x+2|+1 | Simplify | g(x) |
|---|---|---|---|
| -4 | |-1/2( -4)+2|+1 | |4|+1 | 5 |
| -2 | |-1/2( -2)+2|+1 | |3|+1 | 4 |
| 0 | |-1/2( 0)+2|+1 | |2|+1 | 3 |
| 2 | |-1/2( 2)+2|+1 | |1|+1 | 2 |
| 4 | |-1/2( 4)+2|+1 | |0|+1 | 1 |
| 6 | |-1/2( 6)+2|+1 | |-1|+1 | 2 |
Now we can plot these points and connect them to create our graph of g(x).