To find the range of the function \( f(x) = \sqrt{x - 1} \), we can start by setting it equal to \( y \). This gives us the equation:
Setting Up the Equation
We rewrite the function as:
y = √(x - 1)
Isolating x
Next, we can square both sides to eliminate the square root:
y² = x - 1
Now, we can solve for \( x \):
x = y² + 1
Determining the Values of y
Since \( y \) represents the output of the square root function, it must be non-negative. This means:
Finding the Range
As \( x \) increases from 1 (the minimum value for which the function is defined), \( y \) starts from 0 and can increase indefinitely. Therefore, the range of \( f(x) \) is:
Range: [0, ∞)
Summary
The function \( f(x) = \sqrt{x - 1} \) has a range that starts at 0 and goes to positive infinity, indicating that it can take any non-negative value.