Calculus II ,

Math 2022

Chapter-One:

Inverse Functions

April 14, 2024

By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 1 / 16

Objective of this Chapter
On completion of this chapter, successful students will be able to find
derivatives of inverse functions.

Contents of this Chapter

1 Properties of inverse functions
2 Derivative of inverse functions
3 Inverses of trigonometric functions and their derivatives
4 Exponential and logarithmic functions
5 Exponential growth and decay
6 Inverse of hyperbolic functions and their derivatives

By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 2 / 16

 Introduction

In mathematics, an inverse is a function that serves to “undo” another function.

Definition
let f be a function, Then f has an inverse provided that there is a function f −1
such that the domain of f −1 is the range of f and such that

f (x) = y iff f −1 (y) = x

for all x in the domain of f and for all y in the range of f .

Guideline for Computing Inverses

1 Write down y = f (x),
2 Solve for x in terms of y,
3 Switch the x0 s and y0 s,
4 The result is y = f −1 (x).

By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 3 / 16

 Introduction

Example 1
Let f (x) = 1 − 2x3 , Write a formula for the inverse of f .

Solution
Following the steps listed, we obtain:
1 y = 1 − 2x3
2 Solve for x in terms of y as

⇒ 2x3 = 1 − y
!1
1−y 3
⇒x=
2

3 Switch the x0 s and y0 s as:

r r
3 1−x 3 1−x
y= ⇒ f −1
(x) =
2 2
By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 4 / 16
 Introduction

Exercise
1 Find a formula for the inverse of the function

x+2
f (x) = .
x−2
2 Consider f (x) = ax+b
cx−d and g(x) = cx−a , and if f (x) and g(x) are inverses of
b+dx

each other, then show that they must satisfy

f (g(x)) = x = g(f (x)).

3 If f (x) = x9 + 2x7 + x + 1, then find f −1 (5) and f −1 (1).

By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 5 / 16

1.1 Properties of inverse functions

Let f has an inverse. Then f and f −1 have the following properties:

1 (f −1 )−1 = f ,
2 f −1 (f (x)) = x, for all x in the domain of f ,
3 f (f −1 (y)) = y, for all y in the range of f .

A function f has an inverse if and only if for any two numbers x1 and x2 in the
domain of f ,
if x1 , x2 , then f (x1 ) , f (x2 ).

Graphs of Inverses
If the graphs of f (x) and f −1 (x) functions are symmetric with respect to the
line y = x, then we say that the two functions are inverses of each other.

For instance, if (a, b) is a point on the graph of f , then f (a) = b, so that f −1 (b) =
a. Thus, the graph of f −1 is obtained by simply reflecting the graph of f through
the line y = x.
By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 6 / 16
Cont....

Every strictly increasing or decreasing function has an inverse.

Let f (x) and f −1 (x) be two one-to-one functions. If

f (f −1 (x)) = x = f −1 (f (x))

then we say that f (x) and f −1 (x) are inverses of each other.
By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 7 / 16
Cont....
Horizontal Line Test
A function is one-to-one if and only if there is no horizontal line that
intersects its graph more than once.

Example 2
Show that f (x) = 1
x+2 and f −1 (x) = 1x − 2 are inversed each other.

Solution
1 1
f (f −1 (x)) = =x=
− 2 + 2 1x
1
x
⇒ f (f −1 (x)) = f −1 (f (x)) = x.
1
f −1 (f (x)) = 1 − 2 = x + 2 − 2 = x
x+2

Exercise
√3
Show whether f (x) = (x − 1)3 and f −1 (x) = x + 1 are inversed or not to each
other.
By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 8 / 16
1.2 Derivative of inverse functions

Given an invertible function f (x), the derivative of its inverse function f −1 (x)
is evaluated by:
 0 1
f −1 (x) = 0 −1
f (f (x))

This formula is an immediate consequence of the definition of an inverse

function and the chain rule:

f (f −1 (x)) = x
d h −1 i
⇒ f (f (x)) = x
dx  0
⇒ f 0 (f −1 (x)). f −1 (x) = 1
 0 1
⇒ f −1 (x) = 0 −1
f (f (x))

N.B:
f 0 (f −1 (x)) , 0
By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 9 / 16
Cont...
Example 1
 0
Let f (x) = x7 + 8x3 + 4x − 2. Find f −1 (−2).

Solution:
We must find:

f (x) = x7 + 8x3 + 4x − 2= −2 ⇒ f (0) = −2 ⇒ f −1 (−2) = 0.

and
f 0 (x) = 7x6 + 24x2 + 4 ⇒ f 0 (0) = 4

 0 1  0 1
f −1 (x) = ⇒ f −1 (−2) =
f 0 (f −1 (x)) f 0 (f −1 (−2))

1 1
= =
f 0 (0) 4
By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 10 / 16
Cont...
Example 2
 0
Let f (x) = x7 + 8x3 + 4x − 2. Find f −1 (0).

Solution:
Like to the above:
f (x) = x7 + 8x3 + 4x − 2= 0
That task turns out to be impossible to accomplish,
 0 and thus we find it
impossible to obtain the numerical value of f −1 (0).

Suppose y = f (x) and f has an inverse, so that x = f −1 (y). Then,

dy
= f0
dx
and
dx  −1 0
= f
dy
By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 11 / 16
Cont...

Using these notations, we may rewrite the formula

 0 1
f −1 (x) =
f 0 (f −1 (x))
in the easily remembered form:
dx 1
=
dy dy
dx

dy d
= f 0 (x) = (x7 + 8x3 + 4x − 2) = 7x6 + 24x2 + 4
dx dx
dx 1 1
= dy = 6
dy 7x + 24x2 + 4
dx
dx  −1 0 1
⇒ = f (0) =
dy 4
By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 12 / 16
Cont...
Example 3
Let y = x5 + 2x. Find dx
dy and dx
dy |y=−3 .

Solution:
dy dx 1 1
= 5x5 + 2 ⇒ = dy = 4
dx dy 5x + 2
dx

Since y = x5 + 2x, it follows that y = −3 for x = −1.

dx 1 1
⇒ |y=−3 = =
dy 5(−1)4 + 2 7

Exercise
 0
For f (x) = xlnx, find f −1 (2e2 )

By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 13 / 16

1.3 Inverses of trigonometric functions and their
derivatives

The inverse trigonometric are used in evaluating integrals, as well as in other

applications

y = sin−1 (x), Derivative of the Inverse Sine Function

y = sin−1 x, −1 ≤ x ≤ 1
iff
π π
x = siny, − ≤ y ≤
2 2

By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 14 / 16

Cont...

By:Tesfaye Aga April 14, 2024 15 / 16

Cont...

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