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In mathematics, the inverse function of a function f (also called the inverse of f) is a function that undoes the operation of f. The inverse of f exists if and only if f is bijective , and if it exists, is denoted by f − 1 . {\displaystyle f^{-1}.}
An involution is a function f : X → X that, when applied twice, brings one back to the starting point. In mathematics, an involution, involutory function, or self-inverse function [1] is a function f that is its own inverse, f(f(x)) = x. for all x in the domain of f. [2] Equivalently, applying f twice produces the original value.
Subtraction is itself a sort of inverse to addition, in that adding x and subtracting x are inverse functions. Given a set with an addition operation, one cannot always define a corresponding subtraction operation on that set; the set of natural numbers is a simple example.
The inverse of addition is subtraction, and the inverse of multiplication is division. Similarly, a logarithm is the inverse operation of exponentiation . Exponentiation is when a number b , the base , is raised to a certain power y , the exponent , to give a value x ; this is denoted b y = x . {\displaystyle b^{y}=x.}
Although many functions do not have an inverse, every relation does have a unique converse. The unary operation that maps a relation to the converse relation is an involution , so it induces the structure of a semigroup with involution on the binary relations on a set, or, more generally, induces a dagger category on the category of relations ...
The inverse element is the element that results in the identity element when combined with another element. For instance, the additive inverse of the number 6 is -6 since their sum is 0. [41] There are not only inverse elements but also inverse operations. In an informal sense, one operation is the inverse of another operation if it undoes the ...
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That the function g is injective implies that given some equality of the form a ∗ x = b, where the only unknown is x, there is only one possible value of x satisfying the equality. More precisely, we are able to define some function f, the inverse of g, such that for all x f(g(x)) = f(a ∗ x) = x.