To translate the function y = cos(x) 6 units upward, you need to add 6 to the entire function. This vertical shift increases the output of the function by 6 units for every value of x.
Thus, the new equation after the translation becomes:
y = cos(x) + 6
This means that for every point on the original cosine curve, you simply add 6 to the y value, effectively pushing the entire graph up on the coordinate plane.