Learning Resources

Investigation 4: The Square-Root Function & Focus H: Irrational Functions and Inverses

Step A: 

There are several ways in which you can reflect the graph of y = x² across the line y = x. The easiest, however, is to choose several points on the graph of
y = x² and exchange the x and y-values of those points. For example, since the point (2, 4) is on the original graph, the point (4, 2) would be the image point after a reflection in the line y = x. 

Reflecting the graph of an equation in the line y = x is equivalent to changing the x's and y's in the equation. This is because graphs that are reflections in the line y = x are inverse functions. One specific property of inverse functions is that their domain, the x-values, and range, the y-values, become interchanged.