How do you graph y = 3/x ?

1 Answer
Parabola
Jan 18, 2018

The graph should look like this: graph{3/x [-10, 10, -5, 5]}

Explanation:

Let's use some asymptotes to guide us.

First, since the numerator is in the lower degree than the denominator, the horizontal asymptote is y=0

Second, since x=0 makes the function undefined, the vertical asymptote is x=0

We can now plug in the x values of -5,-4,-3,-2,-1,0,1,2,3,4,5 into our function and graph the result.

We connect the points.
Remember: the graph should curve so that as we get closer to x=0, we get really really close to the y axis, and as we keep going to the left/right, we get closer and closer to 0, but never reach it.

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