Question

Which describes the value of a?

Answer 1

(c) 0 < a < 1

Explanation:

You want to know the value of 'a' in y = a·cot(x) that will cause a vertical compression without reflection.

Vertical scaling

When a function value is multiplied by a factor greater than 1, its graph is expanded vertically. When that factor is less than 1, the graph is compressed, as in the attachment.

If the scale factor is negative, the graph will be reflected across the x-axis.

Here, you want compression without reflection. That requires a positive scale factor less than 1.

0 < a < 1