Thread: Math help
View Single Post
  #19  
Old 09-14-2008, 11:25 PM
mavsluver41's Avatar
mavsluver41 mavsluver41 is offline
In pursuit...
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 648
mavsluver41 is on a distinguished road
Default

Since I'm doing my math homework anyway and this thread has been resuscitated, I guess I'll give you an in-depth explanation (although fsquared has given the best/easiest way).

Exclude the (-) sign because you know that it just flips the function over the x-axis.

Definition of absolute value:

|x|= x (if x≥0)
-x (if x<0)

So, in your problem,|x-4|is only non-negative if x is greater than or equal to 4. And it is negative if x is less than 4.

Therefore:

f(x) = x-4 if (x≥4)
-(x-4) if (x<4)

Now you have two linear functions that are easy to visualize and meet the x-axis at x=4.

Voila, it is clear that the graph moves to the right . And I can't believe I just wrote all that, what has school done to me ?
Reply With Quote