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Reviewed CSCA Mathematics question · Hard

What is the range of the function f(x) = 3 - 2√(x - 1)?

  1. (-∞, 3]
  2. [3, ∞)
  3. (-∞, 1]
  4. [1, ∞)
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer

A. (-∞, 3]

Principle or equation

The square root function √(x-1) has range [0, ∞). Multiplying by -2 gives (-∞, 0]. Adding 3 gives (-∞, 3].

Why this answer is correct

Domain: x ≥ 1. As x increases from 1 to ∞, √(x-1) increases from 0 to ∞, so -2√(x-1) decreases from 0 to -∞. Thus f(x) = 3 - 2√(x-1) takes all values from 3 down to -∞. Therefore range is (-∞, 3].

Example

For g(x) = 1 - √(x), range is (-∞, 1].

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