Question

Any help? I need to describe the change of the equation, in terms of it getting thinner (>) or wider (<). I don't exactly understand how to do this, can anyone explain? ​

Answer 1

9514 1404 393

Answer:

  no change to the width of the curve

Step-by-step explanation:

Your terminology and use of symbols (>, <) are unusual, so we're not sure what your question is.

The equation represents a transformation of the parent function

  y = x²

The transformation (replacing x with (x-4)) is a translation right 4 units. This can be seen in the attached graph. The "parent function" is shown in red. Your function is shown in blue.

Nothing about this transformation changes the width of the curve, so it is neither thinner nor wider than it was originally. The description usually used if the curve is narrower or wider is "horizontal compression" or "horizontal expansion."

The curve does get wider for larger y-values. It is said to "open upward".

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Additional comment

The symbols < and > stand for "is less than" and "is greater than", respectively. They are occasionally used as "angle brackets" to identify vectors or tokens of one sort or another. Sometimes, they are used to signify an angle when the appropriate ∠ symbol is not available. This is the first time in many years of studying math that I have seen them in the context of "thinner" and "wider."