EXERCISES [MAI 2.7-2.

8]
COMPOSITION – INVERSE FUNCTIONS
SOLUTIONS
Compiled by: Christos Nikolaidis

A. Paper 1 questions (SHORT)

1. (a) (f ◦ g)(x) = 10 – 10x (g ◦ f)(x) = 50 – 10x

(b) f -1(x) = (10 – x)/2,
(c) g -1(10) = 2
(d) (f -1◦g)(x) = (10 – 5x)/2, (g ◦ f ) -1(x) = (50 – x)/10
(e) (f ◦ f)(x) = 4x – 10 (g ◦ g)(x) = 25x

2. (a) (i) (f ◦ g)(x) = 2(5x+3)+5 = 10x+11, then (f ◦ g)(1) = 21

(ii) (f ◦ g)(1) = f (g(1)) = f (8) = 21
(b) (i) f (x) = y  2x+5 = y  x = (y – 5) /2 so f -1(x) = (x – 5) / 2 , then f -1(25) = 10
(ii) f (x) = 25  2x+5 = 25  x = 10, so f -1(25) = 10
(c) (g ◦ f)(1) = g (f(1)) = g (7) = 38
g (x) = 53  5x+3 = 53  x = 10, so g-1(53) = 10.

3. (a) g(3) =1 f -1(3) =4

(b) (f ◦ g)(2) = -1
(c) (g ◦ g)(3) = 5
(d) x = 1

4. (a) ( g 1
f )( 4) = 3
(b) x  1
(c) ( g 1
g )( 2) =2
y 1 x 1
5. (a) 2 x  1  y  x   f 1 ( x) 
2 2
(b) g  f (2)   g (3)  3( 3)2  4  23

(c) f  g ( x )   f (3x 2  4)  2(3x 2  4)  1  6 x 2  7

6. 3  2 x = 5  3 – 2x = 25  –2x = 22  x = –11
OR
3  y2 3  x2
Let y = 3  2 x  y2 = 3 – 2x x =  f –1(x) =
2 2
3  25
 f –1(5) = = –11
2

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 53x  2 53x  2 15 x 10 
7. (a) (h ◦ g) (x) = =  
3x  2  4 3x  6  3x  6 
2
(b) x  0.667
3
8. (a) (f ° g): x ֏ 3(x + 2) = 3x + 6
(b) METHOD 1
f –1(x) = x g–1(x) = x – 2
3
f (18) + g–1(18) = 6 +16 = 22
–1

METHOD 2
3x = 18, x + 2 = 18
x = 6, x = 16
f –1(18) + g–1(18) = 6 +16 = 22

x3
9. (a) g–1(x) =
2
(b) METHOD 1
g(4) = 5, f(5) = 25
METHOD 2
(f ° g)(x) = (2x – 3)2
(f ° g)(4) = (2 × 4 – 3)2 = 25
10. (a) (g ° f)(x) = 7  2 x  3 = 10 – 2x
(b) g–1(x) = x – 3
(c) METHOD 1
g–1(5) = 2, f (2) = 3
METHOD 2
(f ° g–1)(x) = 7 – 2(x – 3), 13 – 2x so (f ° g–1)(5) = 3

11. (a) METHOD 1

f (3) = 7 (g ◦ f) (3) = 7
METHOD 2
2
(g ◦ f) (x) = x  4 = x + 4
(g ◦ f) (3) = 7
(b) f 1(x) = x2  4
(c) x0

12. (a) METHOD 1

For f (2) = 12
(g ◦ f) (2) = g (12) = 24
METHOD 2
(g ◦ f) (x) = 2x3 8
(g ◦ f) (2) = 24

(b) x3 – 4 = y  x  3 y  4 so f 1(x) = 3 x  4 

2
13. (a) 3x + 5 = 2  x = –1
f –1(2) = –1
(b) g(f (–4) )= g(–12 + 5) = g(–7) = 2(1 + 7) = 16

14. (a) f (3) = 23

23 8 4
(g ° f ) (3) = 3
= =
2 –2 6 3
x 2y 2x
(b)  y  xy –2y = x  x (y – 1) = 2y  x  so y =
x2 y 1 x – 1
10
y= = 2.5
5 – 1
x 5y
15. (a)  y  x  xy  5 y  x  xy  5 y  x(1  y )  5 y  x 
x5 1 y
5x
f 1 ( x ) 
1 x
5S
(b) R 
1 S
2
16. (a) (f ◦ g) (x) =
x 3
(b) (f ◦ g) (4) = 2
2
(c) P
S 3
(d) P2
1 2x  3
17. Just confirm that f ( x)  and ( f
f )( x )  x
3x  2
6 x
18. (a) y= => x = 6 – 2y
2
=> g–1(x) = 6 – 2x
(b) (f ° g–1) (x) = 4[(6 – 2x) –1] = 4(5 –2x) = 20 – 8x
20 – 8x = 4 => 8x = 16 => x = 2
19. (f ° g) : x ֏ x3 + 1
(f ° g)–1 : x ֏ (x – 1)1/3

4  2 x 
20. (a) h( x)  1  
x2  2 x
4 4 x2 1 4 4
(b) 1  y   y 1    x2 x 2
x2 x2 4 y 1 y 1 y 1
(c) (i) h(x) represents an expression of K in terms of M

(ii) h 1 ( x) represents an expression of M in terms of K

(iii) h(3) represents the value K when M  3

(iv) h 1 (0.5) represents the value M when K  0.5

3
 1 x5
21. f ( x)  g 1 ( x )  x  2
3
x3
(f1◦ g) (x) = (g1◦ f) (x) = 3x  3
3
x3 12 3
 3x  3 x  3  9 x  9  x  
3 8 2

22.

23. (a) f (x) = (x – 3)2 + 4 = x2 – 6x+9+4 = x 2 – 6x +13

(b) y = (x – 3)2 + 4
y – 4 = (x – 3)2
y4 =x–3
y4 +3=x
 f –1(x) = x4 +3
(c) x  3 and y  4
(d) x  4 and y  3
24.

3F  4
(c) Since f is the inverse of f 1 : D 
F 2

4
 GIVEN f ◦ g AND ONE OF THE FUNCTIONS FIND THE OTHER ONE

25. (a) ( f
g )( x)  2(5 x  3)  5  10 x  6  5  10 x  11

x 5
(b) f 1 ( x) 
2
(10 x  11)  5 10 x  6
Since g  f 1
( f
g ) , g ( x)    5x  3
2 2
x3
(c) g 1 ( x ) 
5
 x3
Since f  ( f
g )
g 1 , f ( x)  10    11  2( x  3)  11  2 x  6  11  2 x  5
 5 
26. (a) f  h
g 1
(b) g  f 1
h
(c) g  f 1
k
h 1

27. METHOD A
f 1 ( x)  3 x
(a) Since g  f 1
( f
g ) , g ( x)  3
x 1
1
(b) Since g  ( g
f )
f , g ( x)  3
x 1
METHOD B
(a) f(g(x)) = x + 1  [g(x)]3 = x + 1
so g(x) = 3 x  1
(b) g(f(x)) = x + 1  g(x3) = x + 1
so g(x) = 3 x  1

28. METHOD A
f 1 ( x)  3 x  1
(a) Since g  f 1
( f
g ) , g ( x)  3 2 x  1  1  3 2 x  2
(b) Since g  ( g
f )
f 1 , g ( x)  2 3 x  1  1
METHOD B
(a) f(g(x)) = x + 1  [g(x)]3 -1 = 2x + 1
so g(x) = 3 2 x  2
(b) g(f(x)) = 2x + 1  g(x3-1) = 2x + 1
Set y = x3-1, then x = 3 y  1 , so g(x) =2 3 x  1 +1
29.

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B. Paper 2 questions (LONG)

x2 – 1
30. (a) Let y = = > yx2 + y = x2 – 1
x 1
2

1 y 1 y 1 x
x2(1 – y) = 1 + y = > x2 = =>x= so f –1(x) =
1– y 1– y 1– x
1 x
(b) f –1(x) = –
1– x
T 2 1
(c) S 
T 2 1
(d) 0.385 (3sf)
(e) – 1

31. Let f (x) = x  1  1 and g(x) = x 2 .

(g f )(x) = 1  ( x  1  1 )2 = 1  x  1  1 = 1  x  1 = 0  x = – 1
For the next two questions we need f 1 ( x)  ( x  1) 2  1  x 2  2 x
(a) h  g
f 1 so h( x )  ( x 2  2 x) 2
(b) k  f 1
g so k ( x)  x 4  2 x 2

3x  1 3 y 1
32. (a)  y  xy  3 y  3x  1  x( y  3)  3 y  1  x 
x 3 y 3
3x  1
so f 1 ( x )   f ( x)
x3
(b) ( f
f )(k )  k
3P  1
(c) Q 
P 3
(d) (i) ( f
g )(2) = f (5) = 2 (ii) ( g
f )(5) = g (2) = 6 (iii) ( g
g )(0) = g (2) = 6.
(e) Domain  5  x  6

33. (a) f 1 ( x )  ( x  1) 2 .
(b) x  1 , y  0
3 5
(c) x  .
2
(d) Q  ( P  1) 2 , It is the value where P and Q coincide.