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I know $f(x-c)$ is the graph of $f(x)$ shifted to the right $c$ units, but is there any sort of intuitive way of looking at this?

interrogative
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  • What kind of intuition? For example, if you think of $x$ as time, things happen $c$ units of time later for $f(x-c)$ than they do for the original $f(x)$, but I don't know if that's the kind of thinking you're looking for. – Hans Lundmark Sep 19 '16 at 18:28
  • Easiest thing to do is to just look at it's inverse. – John Joy Sep 21 '16 at 13:03

1 Answers1

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If you think of $x$ as units of time $t$ and and $f(t)$ as a function telling you what happens to you at time $t$ (for example at $t=3$, $f(3)$ translates into you eating breakfast), the transformation $f(t-c)$ basically means that whatever used to happen to you at time $t$ now happens earlier, at $t-c$ (for example, if $c=1$, you will be eating breakfast at $t=2$).

Is this the type of intuition you were looking for?

Peter
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  • "you will be eating breakfast at $t=2$": Oughtn't this be $t - c = 3 - 1 = 2$? –  Nov 22 '18 at 17:53