Unit 1: Functions

Essential Understanding:
Creating different representations of functions to model the relationships
between variables, visually and symbolically as graphs, equations and tables
represents different ways to communicate mathematical ideas.

Conceptual Understanding:
• Different representations of functions, symbolically and visually as
graphs, equations and tables provide different ways to communicate
mathematical relationships.
• The parameters in a function or equation correspond to geometrical
features of a graph and can represent physical quantities in spatial
dimensions.
1. Introduction to Functions

Learning Outcomes
1. Identify and classify a Function
2. Understand the difference between a relation and a
function
3. Evaluate Functions using function notation

Textbook
p 62 - 84
Useful Notation
 Key Points about Functions
• A function needs two groups (sets) of numbers.

• A function requires a pattern to exist between the two

sets of numbers.
➢ Uncovering this pattern means finding the relationship between the numbers in the
domain and the numbers in the range.
➢ There are many mathematical ways to represent this relationship, such as tables, ordered
pairs, equations and graphs.
➢ Some relationships are so common that they have special names (eg linear, quadratic,
exponential and logarithmic).

• A function is a special type of relation for which every

value of the domain has only one value in the range.
 Function Mappings
• A mapping shows how each value of the domain is
mapped to its image in the range.
• The mapping will be able to tell you whether the relation
shown by the mapping is a function or not.
• The mapping will represent a function if all values of the
domain map to only one image in the range.
• To help illustrate this point the following examples look at
the mapping of degrees at NUS to the tuition fees for
foreigners.
 Function or not?
DOMAIN RANGE

Arts and Social Sciences $15 300

YES Business $17 900

All elements of Medicine $46 100

the domain
map to exactly
Law $21 600
one image in
the range.
 Function or not?
DOMAIN RANGE

Arts and Social Sciences $15 300

NO
Business $17 900
The element
“Business” in the
domain maps to two Medicine $46 100
images in the range.

We don’t know what

Law $21 600
the price of tuition is
for Business. It can’t
be both.
 Function or not?
DOMAIN RANGE

Arts and Social Sciences $15 300

YES
Business $17 900
All elements of the
domain map to
exactly one image Medicine $46 100
in the range.

Medicine and Law Law $21 600

are perfectly
entitled to charge
the same fee.
Remember: For a function to exist, each x-coordinate must only have
1 y-coordinate
Solutions:
 Vertical Line Test
• The vertical line test gives us another way to determine
whether or not a relation is a function.
• We know that a function can only have one value of the
range (y) for each value of the domain (x).
• If a vertical line is drawn through all points of the
domain, and these lines intersect the graph exactly
once on all occasions, then the relation is a function.
 NO
If the domain is all Function or not?
x values, then
Yes
there is an element
If we restrict the
in the domain (x =
domain to all x
3) that has no
values, EXCPET
value in the range,
for x=3, then each
therefore it is not a
value in the
function.
domain has only 1
value in the range,
so it is now a
function.
 Function or not?
NO

There are values of the

domain (-4 < x <4) that has
two values in the range.

Vertical lines can be drawn

that intersect the graph twice.
 Function notation
• An example of how a function is written is:
f(x) = x2 + 3

• The most common use of a function is to calculate a

value in the range for a particular value in the domain.
• For example if f(x) = x2 + 3,
find f(3). f (x) = x + 3
2

f (3) = 3 + 3
2

= 9+3
= 12
Challenge Question - OPTIONAL
Solutions:
Homework:
Homework Solutions