If you are preparing for the HKDSE Core Mathematics exam, you know that Functions and Graphs is a heavyweight topic. Within that topic, nothing causes quite as much confusion—or appears as frequently—as Graph Transformations.
Every year, students lose valuable marks because they confuse a "translation" with a "reflection" or forget the golden rules of scaling.
This post serves as a complete exercise guide. We will briefly recap the concepts, run through the must-know formulas, and then tackle three common types of DSE-style transformation questions. transformation of graph dse exercise
The figure shows the graph of ( y = f(x) ).
(Sketch: a parabola with vertex at ((0,0)) passing through ((1,1)) and ((-1,1)).)
Write the equations of the following transformed graphs: Question 1 (Basic Shifts) The figure shows the
(a) Shift up by 3 units.
(b) Shift right by 2 units.
(c) Shift left by 1 unit and down by 4 units.
Before tackling complex exercises, let’s establish the foundational rules. Assume the original graph is ( y = f(x) ). ⚠️ Common Pitfall in DSE: Horizontal transformations are
| Transformation | Algebraic Change | Effect on Graph | DSE Common Example | |----------------|------------------|----------------|--------------------| | Translation (Horizontal) | ( y = f(x - h) ) | Shift RIGHT by ( h ) (if ( h>0 )) | Quadratic vertex shift | | Translation (Vertical) | ( y = f(x) + k ) | Shift UP by ( k ) (if ( k>0 )) | Sine/cosine vertical shift | | Reflection (x-axis) | ( y = -f(x) ) | Flip over x-axis | Exponential decay reflection | | Reflection (y-axis) | ( y = f(-x) ) | Flip over y-axis | Even/odd function tests | | Scaling (Vertical) | ( y = a f(x) ) | Stretch/compress vertically | Amplitude change in trig graphs | | Scaling (Horizontal) | ( y = f(bx) ) | Compress/stretch horizontally | Period change in sin/cos |
⚠️ Common Pitfall in DSE: Horizontal transformations are counter-intuitive.
( y = f(x - 2) ) moves the graph right, not left.
( y = f(2x) ) compresses horizontally (period halves), not expands.
Use these to drill before exams.