Final answer:
The light bulb should be placed 8 centimeters from the vertex of the parabolic reflector. The equation of the function g(x) that is a reflection of the graph of the f(x) about the x-axis is given by g(x) = f(-x).
Step-by-step explanation:
The reflector of a flashlight is in the shape of a parabolic surface. The reflector has a diameter of 16 centimeters and a depth of 8 centimeters. To find the distance from the vertex to the light bulb, we need to determine the focal length of the parabolic reflector. The focal length of a parabola is half of its diameter, so the focal length in this case is 8 centimeters. Therefore, the light bulb should be placed 8 centimeters from the vertex of the parabolic reflector.
The equation of the function g(x) that is a reflection of the graph of the f(x) about the x-axis is given by g(x) = f(-x). This means that to reflect the graph of f(x) about the x-axis, we substitute -x for x in the equation.