In mathematics, the inverse function of a function f (also called the inverse of f) is a function that undoes the operation of f. The inverse of f exists if and only if f is bijective, and if it exists, is denoted by
For a function , its inverse admits an explicit description: it sends each element to the unique element such that f(x) = y.
As an example, consider the real-valued function of a real variable given by f(x) = 5x − 7. One can think of f as the function which multiplies its input by 5 then subtracts 7 from the result. To undo this, one adds 7 to the input, then divides the result by 5. Therefore, the inverse of f is the function defined by
Let f be a function whose domain is the set X, and whose codomain is the set Y. Then f is invertible if there exists a function g from Y to X such that for all and for all .
If f is invertible, then there is exactly one function g satisfying this property. The function g is called the inverse of f, and is usually denoted as f −1, a notation introduced by John Frederick William Herschel in 1813.
The function f is invertible if and only if it is bijective. This is because the condition for all implies that f is injective, and the condition for all implies that f is surjective.
The inverse function f −1 to f can be explicitly described as the function
Inverse element
Recall that if f is an invertible function with domain X and codomain Y, then
for every and for every .
Using the composition of functions, this statement can be rewritten to the following equations between functions:
and
where idX is the identity function on the set X; that is, the function that leaves its argument unchanged. In , this statement is used as the definition of an inverse morphism.
Considering function composition helps to understand the notation f −1. Repeatedly composing a function f: X→X with itself is called iteration. If f is applied n times, starting with the value x, then this is written as f n(x); so f 2(x) = f (f (x)), etc. Since f −1(f (x)) = x, composing f −1 and f n yields f n−1, "undoing" the effect of one application of f.
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Discrete mathematics is a discipline with applications to almost all areas of study. It provides a set of indispensable tools to computer science in particular. This course reviews (familiar) topics a
In mathematics, a function from a set X to a set Y assigns to each element of X exactly one element of Y. The set X is called the domain of the function and the set Y is called the codomain of the function. Functions were originally the idealization of how a varying quantity depends on another quantity. For example, the position of a planet is a function of time. Historically, the concept was elaborated with the infinitesimal calculus at the end of the 17th century, and, until the 19th century, the functions that were considered were differentiable (that is, they had a high degree of regularity).
In mathematics, a bijection, also known as a bijective function, one-to-one correspondence, or invertible function, is a function between the elements of two sets, where each element of one set is paired with exactly one element of the other set, and each element of the other set is paired with exactly one element of the first set; there are no unpaired elements between the two sets. In mathematical terms, a bijective function f: X → Y is a one-to-one (injective) and onto (surjective) mapping of a set X to a set Y.
In mathematics, function composition is an operation ∘ that takes two functions f and g, and produces a function h = g ∘ f such that h(x) = g(f(x)). In this operation, the function g is applied to the result of applying the function f to x. That is, the functions f : X → Y and g : Y → Z are composed to yield a function that maps x in domain X to g(f(x)) in codomain Z. Intuitively, if z is a function of y, and y is a function of x, then z is a function of x.
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