Function Notation

Section 3.1


Functions are nice machines! You put something in, and it produces something predictable.

Definition

A function consists of:
1. a set of inputs, called the domain.
2. a rule which assigns each input to exactly one output.
3. a set of outputs, called the range.

Function Notation

How do we write functions? Using function notation! Function notation is written as follows:

LaTeX: Name\left(input\right)=output


Videos

Watch this video for some examples demonstrating function notation and function evaluation.

Watch this video for function notation and evaluation using graphs and tables.

Definition

A function is one-to-one if LaTeX: f\left(a\right)=f\left(b\right) implies that  LaTeX: a=b. This means that every output must have a unique input.

To determine if a graph corresponds to a one-to-one function, we need to check two things:

  • its a function
  • its one-to-one

This is important when we get to section 3.7 on Inverses.