Digital Lesson

Shifting Graphs
 The graphs of many functions are transformations
of the graphs of very basic functions.

Example: y y = x2 + 3
The graph of y = x2 + 3 8
is the graph of y = x2 y = x2
shifted upward three units. 4

This is a vertical shift.

x
-4 4
The graph of y = -x2 is the -4
reflection of the graph of y = -x2
y = x2 in the x-axis. -8

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 Vertical Shifts
If c is a positive real number, the graph of f(x) + c is
the graph of y = f(x) shifted upward c units.

If c is a positive real number, the graph of f(x) – c is

the graph of y = f(x) shifted downward c units.
y
f(x) + c

f(x)
+c

-c f(x) – c
x

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 Example: Use the graph of f (x) = |x| to graph the
functions f (x) = |x| + 3 and f (x) = |x| – 4.

y
f (x) = |x| + 3
8
f (x) = |x|
4
f (x) = |x| – 4
x
-4 4

-4

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 Horizontal Shifts

If c is a positive real number, then the graph of

f (x – c) is the graph of y = f (x) shifted to the right
c units.
y
If c is a positive real -c +c
number, then the
graph of f (x + c) is
the graph of y = f (x)
shifted to the left x
c units. y = f (x + c) y = f (x) y = f (x – c)

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 Example: Use the graph of f (x) = x3 to graph
f (x) = (x – 2)3 and f (x) = (x + 4)2 .
y f(x) = x3

-4 4
x

f (x) = (x + 4)2 f (x) = (x – 2)3

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 Example: Graph the function y  x  5  4
using the graph of y  x.

First make a vertical shift Then a horizontal shift 5

4 units downward. units left.
y y
4 y x 4
(4, 2) y  x5 4
(0, 0)
x x
-4 -4
(4, -2) y  x  4 (-1, -2)
(0, -4) (-5, -4)

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 The graph of a function may be a reflection of the
graph of a basic function.
The graph of the function y = f (-x) is the graph of
y = f (x) reflected in the y-axis. y

The graph of the y = f (-x) y = f (x)

function y = -f (x)
x
is the graph of y = f (x)
reflected in the x-axis. y = -f (x)

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 Example: Graph y = -(x + 3)2 using the graph of y = x2.

First reflect the graph Then shift the graph

in the x-axis. three units to the left.
y y

4 y = x2 4

(-3, 0)
x x
-4 4 4

-4
y = - (x + 3)2
y = -x 2

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 Vertical Stretching and Shrinking
If c > 1 then the graph of y = c f (x) is the graph of y = f (x)
stretched vertically by c.

If 0 < c < 1 then the graph of y = c f (x) is the graph of y = f (x)

shrunk vertically by c.

y = x2 y y = 2x2
Example: y = 2x2 is the
graph of y = x2
4
stretched vertically by 2.
1 2
1 2 is the graph of y = x2 y x
y x 4
4
shrunk vertically by 1 . x
4 -4 4

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 Horizontal Stretching and Shrinking
If c > 1, the graph of y = f (cx) is the graph of y = f (x)
shrunk horizontally by c.

If 0 < c < 1, the graph of y = f (cx) is the graph of y = f (x)

stretched horizontally by c.

Example: y = |2x| is the y y = |2x|

graph of y = |x| shrunk y = |x|
horizontally by 2. 4
1
y x
1 2
y  x is the
2
graph of y = |x| stretched
horizontally by 1 . x
-4 4
2
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 Example: Graph y  1 ( x  1) 3  3 given the graph y = x3.
2
Graph y = x3 and do one transformation at a time.
y y
8 8

4 4

x x
4 4

-4 -4
1
Step 3: y  ( x  1) 3
Step 1: y = x3 2
1
Step 2: y = (x + 1)3 Step 4: y  ( x  1) 3  3
2
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