An inverse function is a function that reverses the effect of another function g is the inverse of a

function f if y=f(x) then x=g (y). To put it another way, doing nothing and then applying f and g is
equivalent to doing nothing, also known as an anti function, is a function that can be reversed into
another. In other words, if a function "f" converts x to y, the inverse of same function will convert y to x.
The inverse function is denoted by f-1 or F-1 if the function is denoted by 'f' or 'F'. Here, (-1) should not
be confused with exponent or reciprocal. A function accepts values, performs particular operations on
these values and generates an output. The inverse function agrees with the resultant, operates and
reaches back to the original function. In general, the inverse is calculated by switching the x and y
coordinates. This freshly generated inverse is a relation rather than a function. To ensure that the
inverse is likewise a function, the original function must be a one-to-one function. Only if every second
element corresponds to the first value is a function considered to be one to one (values of x and y are
used only once). The horizontal line test can be used to determine whether a function is one-to-one. The
function is a one-to-one function if a horizontal line intersects the original function in a single area, and
the inverse is likewise a function.

Think of inverse function as reversing something you’ve done. For example, you’re writing a sentence
(producing a sentence is similar to the output/result of a function) and then you change your mind and
decide you don’t need your last sentence. You would just do CTRL + Z in some editor to cancel this
sentence. The CTRL + Z function will take your last sentence as input and return your original text as
output.

This is also how encryption/decryption work: you give a plain text to an encryption algorithm (here the
plain text is the input, like a function variable) and it produces a ciphertext as output. Then you send the
encrypted text to someone else. When the recipient gets the encrypted text, he will just use a
decryption algorithm which is the function inverting the ciphertext back to the original plain text.

Finding the inverse of a function is a straightforward process, though we really need to be careful with a
couple of steps. In this article, we are going to assume that all functions we are going to deal with are
one to one.

Here is the procedure of finding of the inverse of a function f(x):

1. Replace the function notation f(x) with y.

2. Swap x with y and vice versa.

3. From step 2, solve the equation for y. Be careful with this step.

4. Finally, change y to f−1(x). This is the inverse of the function.

5. You can verify your answer by checking if the following two statements are true:

⟹ (f ∘ f−1) (x) = x
Example:

Given the function f (x) = 3x − 2, find its inverse.

Solution

f(x) = 3x − 2

Replace f(x) with y.

⟹ y = 3x − 2

Swap x with y

⟹ x = 3y − 2

Solve for y

x + 2 = 3y

Divide through by 3 to get;

1/3(x + 2) = y

x/3 + 2/3 = y

Finally, replace y with f−1(x).

f−1(x) = x/3 + 2/3

Verify (f ∘ f−1) (x) = x

(f ∘ f−1) (x) = f [f −1 (x)]

= f (x/3 + 2/3)

⟹ 3(x/3 + 2/3) – 2

⟹x+2–2

=x

Hence, f −1 (x) = x/3 + 2/3 is the correct answer.