Function (mathematics)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A function f takes an input x, and returns a single output f(x). One metaphor describes the
function as a "machine" or "black box" that for each input returns a corresponding output.


The red curve is the graph of a function f in the Cartesian plane, consisting of all points with
coordinates of the form (x,f(x)). The property of having one output for each input is represented
geometrically by the fact that each vertical line (such as the yellow line through the origin) has
exactly one crossing point with the curve.
Function
x f(x)
By domain and codomain
B

B
n
B
Z

R R
n

C C
n


Classes/properties
Constant Identity Linear Polynomial Rational
Algebraic Analytic Smooth Continuous Measurable
Constructions
Restriction Composition Inverse
Generalizations
Partial Multivalued Implicit
v
t
e
In mathematics, a function
[1]
is a relation between a set of inputs and a set of permissible outputs
with the property that each input is related to exactly one output. An example is the function that
relates each real number x to its square x
2
. The output of a function f corresponding to an input x
is denoted by f(x) (read "f of x"). In this example, if the input is 3, then the output is 9, and we
may write f(3) = 9. The input variable(s) are sometimes referred to as the argument(s) of the
function.
Functions of various kinds are "the central objects of investigation"
[2]
in most fields of modern
mathematics. There are many ways to describe or represent a function. Some functions may be
defined by a formula or algorithm that tells how to compute the output for a given input. Others
are given by a picture, called the graph of the function. In science, functions are sometimes
defined by a table that gives the outputs for selected inputs. A function could be described
implicitly, for example as the inverse to another function or as a solution of a differential
equation.
The input and output of a function can be expressed as an ordered pair, ordered so that the first
element is the input (or tuple of inputs, if the function takes more than one input), and the second
is the output. In the example above, f(x) = x
2
, we have the ordered pair (3, 9). If both input and
output are real numbers, this ordered pair can be viewed as the Cartesian coordinates of a point
on the graph of the function. But no picture can exactly define every point in an infinite set.
In modern mathematics,
[3]
a function is defined by its set of inputs, called the domain; a set
containing the set of outputs, and possibly additional elements, as members, called its codomain;
and the set of all input-output pairs, called its graph. (Sometimes the codomain is called the
function's "range", but warning: the word "range" is sometimes used to mean, instead,
specifically the set of outputs. An unambiguous word for the latter meaning is the function's
"image". To avoid ambiguity, the words "codomain" and "image" are the preferred language for
their concepts.) For example, we could define a function using the rule f(x) = x
2
by saying that
the domain and codomain are the real numbers, and that the graph consists of all pairs of real
numbers (x, x
2
). Collections of functions with the same domain and the same codomain are
called function spaces, the properties of which are studied in such mathematical disciplines as
real analysis, complex analysis, and functional analysis.
In analogy with arithmetic, it is possible to define addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division of functions, in those cases where the output is a number. Another important operation
defined on functions is function composition, where the output from one function becomes the
input to another function.
Contents
The linear function is popular in economics. It is attractive because it is simple and easy to
handle mathematically. It has many important applications.
Linear functions are those whose graph is a straight line.
A linear function has the following form
y = f(x) = a + bx
A linear function has one independent variable and one dependent variable. The independent
variable is x and the dependent variable is y.
a is the constant term or the y intercept. It is the value of the dependent variable when x = 0.
b is the coefficient of the independent variable. It is also known as the slope and gives the rate of
change of the dependent variable.

Graphing a linear function
To graph a linear function:
1. Find 2 points which satisfy the equation
2. Plot them
3. Connect the points with a straight line
Example:
y = 25 + 5x
let x = 1
then
y = 25 + 5(1) = 30
let x = 3
then
y = 25 + 5(3) = 40



A simple example of a linear equation
A company has fixed costs of $7,000 for plant and equuipment and variable costs of $600 for
each unit of output.
What is total cost at varying levels of output?
let x = units of output
let C = total cost
C = fixed cost plus variable cost = 7,000 + 600 x
output total cost
15 units C = 7,000 + 15(600) = 16,000
30 units C = 7,000 + 30(600) = 25,000



Combinations of linear equations
Linear equations can be added together, multiplied or divided.
A simple example of addition of linear equations
C(x) is a cost function
C(x) = fixed cost + variable cost
R(x) is a revenue function
R(x) = selling price (number of items sold)
profit equals revenue less cost
P(x) is a profit function
P(x) = R(x) - C(x)
x = the number of items produced and sold

Data:
A company receives $45 for each unit of output sold. It has a variable cost of $25 per item and a
fixed cost of $1600.
What is its profit if it sells (a) 75 items, (b)150 items, and (c) 200 items?

R(x) = 45x C(x) = 1600 + 25x
P(x) = 45x -(1600 + 25x)
= 20x - 1600
let x = 75
P(75) = 20(75) - 1600 = -100 a
loss
let x = 150 P(150) = 20(150) - 1600 = 1400
let x = 200 P(200) = 20(200) - 1600 = 2400
A quadratic function, in mathematics, is a polynomial function of the form
[1]

The graph of a quadratic function is a parabola whose axis of symmetry is parallel to the y-axis.
The expression ax
2
+ bx + c in the definition of a quadratic function is a polynomial of degree 2,
or a 2nd degree polynomial, because the highest exponent of x is 2. This expression is also
called a quadratic polynomial or quadratic.
If the quadratic function is set equal to zero, then the result is a quadratic equation. The solutions
to the equation are called the roots of the equation.