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Inverse functions

Problem 13.374 · medium

Find the inverse of \( \displaystyle f(x) = \frac{- 5 x - 5}{- 2 x - 1} \).
  1. Write y = f(x) and solve for x. Clear the denominator, collect the x terms, and factor x out. Then rename y as x.
    Reviewed
  2. \[ \left. \frac{- 5 x - 5}{- 2 x - 1} \right|_{\substack{ x=\frac{5 - x}{2 x - 5} }} = x \]
    f(f⁻¹(x)) = x, so this is the inverse.✓ Proved
  3. \[ \left. \frac{5 - x}{2 x - 5} \right|_{\substack{ x=\left. \frac{- 5 x - 5}{- 2 x - 1} \right|_{\substack{ x=2 }} }} = 2 \]
    And f⁻¹(f(2)) = 2.✓ Proved
Answer \( f^{-1}(x) = \frac{5 - x}{2 x - 5} \)

✓ Nihil obstat Lines: 2 proved, 1 reviewed. The answer was also checked a second way, without looking at the solution. Reviewers found nothing wrong with the explanation. How we verify

The full receipt
LineStatusChecked byDetail
1Reviewedreviewers: gpt-oss:20b, qwen3.6:27b-mlxa sentence; read, not computed
2✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(lhs - rhs) reduced to 0
3✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(lhs - rhs) reduced to 0
answer, a second way✓ Checked independentlysympy 1.14.0 + mpmath 1.3.0f then the answer, in floating point, returns the starting x

Reviewers

  • gpt-oss:20b: pass
  • qwen3.6:27b-mlx: pass — The solution correctly identifies the method for finding the inverse and verifies the result using composition. The steps are logically sound and the final answer is correct.
Every verdict on record (6)
  • qwen3.6:27b-mlx: pass 2026-10-19 — The solution correctly identifies the method for finding the inverse and verifies the result using composition. The steps are logically sound and the final answer is correct.
  • gpt-oss:20b: pass 2026-10-19
  • qwen3.6:27b-mlx: pass 2026-10-17 — The solution correctly describes the standard method for finding an inverse function and provides valid verification steps.
  • gpt-oss:20b: pass 2026-10-17
  • qwen3.6:27b-mlx: pass 2026-10-17 — The solution correctly describes the standard method for finding an inverse function and verifies the result using composition. The algebraic steps implied are correct.
  • gpt-oss:20b: pass 2026-10-17

Proved: SymPy reduced the difference between the two sides to zero. Checked independently: a separate method, named above, confirmed it. Checked numerically: the two sides agree at every sampled point, which is evidence, not proof. Reviewed: a model or a person read it; that is all a sentence can have. Solution by generator:structured/inverse_function, checked 2026-10-19 with SymPy 1.14.0.