What is a function?

examples:
height of the floor of the lecture hall depending on distance; stock market index depending
on time; volume of a sphere depending on radius

What do we mean when we say y is a function of x? Symbolically, we write y = f (x),

where

• x is the independent variable (input value of f )

• y is the dependent variable (output value of f at x)

• f is a function (”rule that assigns x to y” – further specify!)

A function acts like a ”little machine”:

Important: There is uniqueness, i.e., we have only one value f (x) for every x!

Definition 1 A function from a set D to a set Y is a rule that assigns a unique (single)
element f (x) ∈ Y to each element x ∈ D.

• The set D of all possible input values is called the domain of f .

• The set R of all possible output values of f (x) as x varies throughout D is called the
range of f .
note: R ⊆ Y !
 3

• We write f maps D to Y symbolically as

f :D→Y
• We write f maps x to y = f (x) symbolically as

f : x $→ y = f (x)

Note the different arrow symbols used!

The natural domain is the largest set of real x which the rule f can be applied to.

examples:

Function Domain x ∈ D Range y ∈ R

y = x2 (−∞, ∞) [0, ∞)
y =√1/x (−∞, 0) ∪ (0, ∞) (−∞, 0) ∪ (0, ∞)
y = √x [0, ∞) [0, ∞)
y = 1 − x2 [−1, 1] [0, 1]

note: A function is specified by the rule f and the domain D:

f : x $→ y = x2 , D(f ) = [0, ∞)
and
f : x $→ y = x2 , D(f ) = (−∞, ∞)
are different functions!

Definition 2 If f is a function with domain D, its graph consists of the points (x, y)
whose coordinates are the input-output pairs for f :
{(x, f (x))|x ∈ D}
examples:
4

Given the function, one can sketch the graph.

y = f (x) is the height of the graph above/below x.

recall: A function f can have only one value f (x) for each x in its domain! This leads to
the vertical line test:
No vertical line can intersect the graph of a function more than once.

(a) x2 + y 2 = 1
 5

A piecewise defined function is a function that is is described by using different formulas

on different parts of its domain.
examples:

• the absolute value function

!
x , x≥0
f (x) = |x| =
−x , x < 0

• some other function

⎧
⎨ −x , x < 0
f (x) = x2 , 0 ≤ x ≤ 1
1 , x>1
⎩
6

• the floor function

f (x) = ⌊x⌋
is given by the greatest integer less than or
equal to x:

⌊1.3⌋ = 1, ⌊−2.7⌋ = −3

• the ceiling function

f (x) = ⌈x⌉
is given by the smallest integer greater than
or equal to x:

⌈3.5⌉ = 4, ⌈−1.8⌉ = −1
 Quiz 7A: Relations and Functions

1.
A) 3
B) 8
C) 1
D) 0

2. A relation is a set of _____________.

A) functions
B) y-values
C) frogs
D) ordered pairs

3. Domain is a list of all of the ____ values of a relation or function.

A) y
B) x
C) z

4. Range is a list of all of the ____ values of a relation or function.

A) z
B) x
C) y

5. What is the domain of this function: {(0, 1), (2, 3), (-1, 3), (4, 5)}?
A) {0, 2}
B) {0, 2, -1, 4}
C) {1, 3, 5}
D) {3}

6. What is the range of this function: {(4, 8), (9, 2), (-3, -4)}
A) {8}
B) {(4, 8), (9, 2), (-3, -4)}
C) {8, 2, -4}
D) {4, 9, -3}
7.
A) D
B) C
C) B
D) A

8. Which of the following relations is a function?

A) {(0, 0), (0, 1), (1, 2)}
B) {(0, 0}, (1, 2), (2, 3)}
C) {(3, 1), (4, 1), (3, 2)}
D) {(1, 1), (1, 2), (1, 3)}

9. Which of the following relations is a function?

A) {(3,7), (3, 6), (5, 3)}
B) {(0, 4), (5, 6), (5, 8)}
C) {(1, 2), (-1, 3), (-1, 8)}
D) {(1, 2), (2, 2), (3, 4)}

10.
A) D
B) B
C) C
D) A

11. Given f(x) = 2x + 1, find f(-3).

 12.
A) 5
B) 8
C) 1
D) 3

13.
A) D
B) B
C) C
D) A

Students who took this test also took :

Direct and Inverse Variation
Solving eq. with variables on both sides

Functions, domain and range

Answer Key
1.B 2.D 3.B 4.C 5.B 6.C 7.C 8.B 9.D 10.C 11. -5 12.D
13.A
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