Final answer:
A horizontal compression by a factor of 1/3 in the equation y = x² can be represented by the equation y = (3x)². The vertical stretch that is equivalent to this horizontal compression is 3.
Step-by-step explanation:
A horizontal compression by a factor of 1/3 in the equation y = x² can be represented by the equation y = (3x)². In this equation, the x-values are compressed by a factor of 1/3, which is equivalent to stretching the y-values by a factor of 3. Therefore, the vertical stretch that is equivalent to a horizontal compression by a factor of 1/3 is 3.