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- DictionaryFunc·tion/ˈfəNG(k)SHən/
noun
- 1. an activity or purpose natural to or intended for a person or thing: "bridges perform the function of providing access across water"
- 2. a relationship or expression involving one or more variables: "the function (bx + c)"
verb
- 1. work or operate in a proper or particular way: "her liver is functioning normally"
In programming, a function takes in some construct that is defined by the programming language (numbers, strings, classes, the results of another function) and returns a construct defined by the language.
- 8 min
- Sal Khan
- Ωπ fαz919 πΩ , By definition of a function, a circle cannot be a solution to a function. A function, by definition, can only have one output value...
- You have to remember that in algebra, what is done to one side of the equation has to also be done to the other side of the equation. When y^2 = 3,...
- _The next largest number that starts with the same letter as_ 2 is 3. They both start with the letter t. In the same way, _The next largest number...
- If you mean, "why does f(x) contain two variables?", please note the f is not a variable. The f is just a way for you to know that when you see f(x...
- Yes, a function can have multiple inputs. We can graph in the coordinate plane when we have 1 input to 1 output. If we have a function with 2 input...
- Yep, there definitely is. Let's consider a circle with center (0, 0) (to make the explanation a little simpler) and radius 3. Let's find some point...
- Basically, the concept of functions gives us a way to name the whole process of evaluating a particular expression, so we can talk about it as a wh...
- Good question, but, we need more info! For essence 'h (a) = x*a + b', where 'x' is the slope of the function and 'b' is the Y-axis intersection, or...
- Overview
- Common functions
- Complex functions
function, in mathematics, an expression, rule, or law that defines a relationship between one variable (the independent variable) and another variable (the dependent variable). Functions are ubiquitous in mathematics and are essential for formulating physical relationships in the sciences. The modern definition of function was first given in 1837 by the German mathematician Peter Dirichlet:
If a variable y is so related to a variable x that whenever a numerical value is assigned to x, there is a rule according to which a unique value of y is determined, then y is said to be a function of the independent variable x.
Many widely used mathematical formulas are expressions of known functions. For example, the formula for the area of a circle, A = πr2, gives the dependent variable A (the area) as a function of the independent variable r (the radius). Functions involving more than two variables (called multivariable or multivariate functions) also are common in mathematics, as can be seen in the formula for the area of a triangle, A = bh/2, which defines A as a function of both b (base) and h (height). In these examples, physical constraints force the independent variables to be positive numbers. When the independent variables are also allowed to take on negative values—thus, any real number—the functions are known as real-valued functions.
Britannica Quiz
Numbers and Mathematics
The formula for the area of a circle is an example of a polynomial function. The general form for such functions is P(x) = a0 + a1x + a2x2+⋯+ anxn, where the coefficients (a0, a1, a2,…, an) are given, x can be any real number, and all the powers of x are counting numbers (1, 2, 3,…). (When the powers of x can be any real number, the result is known as an algebraic function.) Polynomial functions have been studied since the earliest times because of their versatility—practically any relationship involving real numbers can be closely approximated by a polynomial function. Polynomial functions are characterized by the highest power of the independent variable. Special names are commonly used for such powers from one to five—linear, quadratic, cubic, quartic, and quintic for the highest powers being 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively.
Polynomial functions may be given geometric representation by means of analytic geometry. The independent variable x is plotted along the x-axis (a horizontal line), and the dependent variable y is plotted along the y-axis (a vertical line). When the graph of a relation between x and y is plotted in the x-y plane, the relation is a function if a vertical line always passes through only one point of the graphed curve; that is, there would be only one point f(x) corresponding to each x, which is the definition of a function. The graph of the function then consists of the points with coordinates (x, y) where y = f(x). For example, the graph of the cubic equation f(x) = x3 − 3x + 2 is shown in the figure.
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Practical applications of functions whose variables are complex numbers are not so easy to illustrate, but they are nevertheless very extensive. They occur, for example, in electrical engineering and aerodynamics. If the complex variable is represented in the form z = x + iy, where i is the imaginary unit (the square root of −1) and x and y are rea...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Definition. Schematic depiction of a function described metaphorically as a "machine" or "black box" that for each input yields a corresponding output. The red curve is the graph of a function, because any vertical line has exactly one crossing point with the curve.
Jun 4, 2023 · However, it really isn’t necessary to provide an expression or formula to define a function. There are other forms we can use to express a functional relationship: a graph, a table, or even a narrative description.
Mar 24, 2021 · Definition: Function. Let \(A\) and \(B\) be nonempty sets. A function from \(A\) to \(B\) is a rule that assigns to every element of \(A\) a unique element in \(B\). We call \(A\) the domain, and \(B\) the codomain, of the function. If the function is called \(f\), we write \(f :A \to B\).
A function is like a machine that takes an input and gives an output. Let's explore how we can graph, analyze, and create different types of functions. Evaluating functions
May 30, 2024 · There are many ways to describe a function and we begin by defining a function as a special kind of relation. Definition: Function. A relation in which each \ (x\)-coordinate is matched with only one \ (y\)-coordinate is said to describe \ (y\) as a function of \ (x\). Example \ ( \PageIndex {1} \)
