1. The question asks whether the minus sign is applied to the input or the output of a function. 2. In function notation, if you see $f(-x)$, the minus sign is applied to the input variable $x$ before the function is evaluated. 3. This means you replace $x$ with $-x$ inside the function, so the input is negated. 4. On the other hand, if you see $-f(x)$, the minus sign is applied to the output of the function after evaluating $f(x)$. 5. This means you first find $f(x)$ and then multiply the result by $-1$. 6. To summarize: a minus sign inside the parentheses (like $f(-x)$) affects the input, while a minus sign outside the function (like $-f(x)$) affects the output. 7. This distinction is important when analyzing transformations of functions, such as reflections across axes.