4/12/2010 Functions versus Relations

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Functions versus Relations (page 1 of 2)

Sections: Functions versus relations, Domain and range

There are different ways of looking at functions. We will consider a few. But first, we need to discuss
some terminology.

A "relation" is just a relationship between sets of information. Think of all the people in one of your
classes, and think of their heights. The pairing of names and heights is a relation. In relations and
functions, the pairs of names and heights are "ordered", which means one comes first and the other
comes second. To put it another way, we could set up this pairing so that either you give me a name,
and then I give you that person's height, or else you give me a height, and I give you the names of all the
people who are that tall. The set of all the starting points is called "the domain" and the set of all the Make Math Fun for
ending points is called "the range." The domain is what you start with; the range is what you end up Kids
with. The domain is the x 's; the range is the y's. (I'll explain more on the subject of determining domains Supplement Your
and ranges later.) Classroom Math
Tutorial. Find
A function is a "well-behaved" relation. Just as with members of your own family, some members of the Worksheets Online!
www.MathMove sU.com
family of pairing relationships are better behaved than other. (Warning: This means that, while all
functions are relations, since they pair information, not all relations are functions. Functions are a sub- Elementary School
classification of relations.) When we say that a function is "a well-behaved relation", we mean that, given Math
a starting point, we know exactly where to go; given an x , we get only and exactly one y. Find Help For Your
Grade and Level
Let's return to our relation of your classmates and their heights, and let's suppose that the domain is the Sylvan Has a Math
set of everybody's heights. Let's suppose that there's a pizza-delivery guy waiting in the hallway. And all Tutor For You
www.tutoring.SylvanLe arning.com
the delivery guy knows is that the pizza is for the student in your classroom who is five-foot-five. Now let
the guy in. Who does he go to? What if nobody is five-foot-five? What if there are six people in the room Curve Fitting
that are five-five? Do they all have to pay? What if you are five-foot-five? And what if you're out of cash? Software
And allergic to anchovies? Are you still on the hook? Ack! What a mess! Interactive GUI & Full
Programming 200
The relation "height indicates name" is not well-behaved. It is not a function. Given the relationship (x , y) built-in and User
Functions
= (five-foot-five person, name), there might be six different possibilities for y = "name". For a relation to www.O riginLab.com
be a function, there must be only and exactly one y that corresponds to a given x . Here are some
AC-2 Spectrometer
pictures of this: Copyright © Elizabeth Stapel 1999-2009 All Rights Reserved by RKI
Photoelectron
Spectroscopy in Air
UV, Atmospheric
This is a function. You can tell by tracing from each x to Pressure Operation
photoe le ctronspe ctrom e te r.com
each y. There is only one y for each x ; there is only one
arrow coming from each x . Domain Names
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Ha! Bet I fooled some of you on this one! This is a function! www.W e b.com

There is only one arrow coming from each x ; there is only

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4/12/2010 Functions versus Relations
one y for each x . It just so happens that it's always the
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same y for each x , but it is only that one y. So this is a Linking to this site
function; it's just an extremely boring function! Printing pages
Donating
School licensing

This one is not a function: there are two arrows coming Reviews of
Internet Sites:
from the number 1; the number 1 is associated with two
Free Help
different range elements. So this is a relation, but it is not Practice
a function. Et Cetera

The "Homework
Guidelines"

Study Skills Survey

Okay, this one's a trick question. Each element of the
domain that has a pair in the range is nicely well-behaved. Tutoring ($$)
But what about that 16? It is in the domain, but it has no
range element that corresponds to it! This won't work! So
then this is not a function. Heck, it ain't even a relation! This lesson may be printed out for
your personal use.

Now YOU try!

The "Vertical Line Test"

Domain Names
Looking at this function stuff graphically, what if we had the relation that consists of a set containing just Get Your Free Web
two points: {(2, 3), (2, –2)}? We already know that this is not a function, since x = 2 goes to each of Domain URL & Build
y = 3 and y = –2. Your Site In 3 Easy
Steps.
www.W e b.com

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If we graph this relation, it looks like: Solver
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Notice that you can draw a vertical line Free Internet

through the two points, like this: Explorer® 8
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This characteristic of non-functions was noticed by I-don't-know-who, and was codified in "The Vertical www.IE8optim ize d.com
Line Test": Given the graph of a relation, if you can draw a vertical line that crosses the graph in more
than one place, then the relation is not a function. Here are a couple examples: AXIOS Law Group
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This graph shows a function, because www.AXIO SLaw.com
there is no vertical line that will cross
this graph twice.
Function counters
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This graph does not show a function, & More - Same Day
because any number of vertical lines Shipping!
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will intersect this oval twice. For
instance, the y-axis intersects
(crosses) the line twice.
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4/12/2010 Functions versus Relations

Now YOU try!

"Is it a function?" - Quick answer without the graph

Think of all the graphing that you've done so far. The simplest method is to solve for "y =", make a T-
chart, pick some values for x , solve for the corresponding values of y, plot your points, and connect the
dots, yadda, yadda, yadda. Not only is this useful for graphing, but this methodology gives yet another
way of identifying functions: If you can solve for "y =", then it's a function. In other words, if you can
enter it into your graphing calculator, then it's a function. The calculator can only handle functions. For
example, 2y + 3x = 6 is a function, because you can solve for y:

2y + 3x = 6
2y = –3x + 6
y = (–3/2)x + 3

On the other hand, y2 + 3x = 6 is not a function, because you can not solve for a unique y:

I mean, yes, this is solved for "y =", but it's not unique. Do you take the positive square root, or the
negative? Besides, where's the "±" key on your graphing calculator? So, in this case, the relation is not
a function. (You can also check this by using our first definition from above. Think of "x = –1". Then we
get y2 – 3 = 6, so y2 = 9, and then y can be either –3 or +3. That is, if we did an arrow chart, there
would be two arrows coming from x = –1.)

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Cite this article as: Stapel, Elizabeth. "Functions versus Relations." Purplemath. Available from
http://www.purplemath.com/modules/fcns.htm. Accessed 12 April 2010

Copyright © 1999-2009 Elizabeth Stapel | About | Terms of Use Feedback | Error?

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