Home / All Definitions / Algebra / Pre-Calculus / Vertical Shift Definition

Vertical Shift Definition

In geometry, a vertical shift otherwise known as vertical translation, is a translation of a geometric object in a direction parallel to the vertical axis of the Cartesian coordinate system. In simpler terms, it is a shift in which a plane figure moves vertically.

Often, vertical translations are considered for the graph of a function. If f is any function of x, then the graph of the function f(x) + c (whose values are given by adding a constant c to the values of f) may be obtained by a vertical translation of the graph of f(x) by distance c. For this reason, the function f(x) + c is sometimes called a vertical translate of f(x). For instance, the antiderivatives of a function all differ from each other by a constant of integration and are therefore vertical translations of each other.

Sources

“Vertical Translation.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Mar. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_translation.