Subhenur Latif
CONTENTS
Function – “Machines” Definition
Representation of function
Function Vs. non Function
Properties of functions
When the domain and/or the range of a function has
infinite cardinality, it is sometime useful to visualize the
function by using a “function machine”.
Think of:
Domain: machine input
Function formula: machine engine
Range: machine output
A function or mapping (Defined as f: X→Y) is a
relationship from elements of one set X to elements
of another set Y (X and Y are non-empty sets). X is
called Domain and Y is called Codomain of function
‘f’.
Function ‘f’ is a relation on X and Y s.t for each x ∈ X,
there exists a unique y ∈ Y such that (x,y) ∈ R. x is
called pre-image and y is called image of function f.
A function can be one to one, many to one (not one to
many). A function f: A→B is said to be invertible if
there exists a function g: B→A
Graphical Representations
Functions can be represented graphically in
several ways:
f A B
• •
f • •
a• •
b
•
•
y
•
• •
x
A
B Graph Plot
Like Venn diagrams
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Functions vs. Non-Functions
(a) not a function (f (b) is undefined);
(b) not a function (f (c) is overdetermined);
(c) is a function (def. “function”).
One-to-One Function Clue
X-values are matched up with distinct Y-values
One-to-One Illustration
Graph representations of functions that
are (or not) one-to-one:
• • • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • • •
• • •
• • • •
• • •
Not one-to-one Not even a
One-to-one function!
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Injective / One-to-one function
A function f: A→B is injective or one-to-one function if for
every b ∈ B, there exists at most one a ∈ A such that f(s) = t.
This means a function f is injective if a1 ≠ a2 implies f(a1) ≠
f(a2).
Example
f: N→N, f(x) = 5x is injective.
f: Z+→Z+, f(x) = x2 is injective.
f: N→N, f(x) = x2 is not injective as (−x)2 = x2
Onto Function Clue
Image of f that is codomain equals its range
Illustration of Onto
Some functions that are or are not onto their
codomains:
•
• • • • • • • •
• • • • • •
• •
• • • •
• • • •
• • • •
• • • •
• •
Onto Not Onto Both 1-1 1-1 but
(but not 1-1) (or 1-1) and onto not onto
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Surjective / Onto function
A function f: A→B is surjective (onto) if the image of f equals
its range. Equivalently, for every b ∈ B, there exists some a
∈ A such that f(a) = b. This means that for any y in B, there
exists some x in A such that y = f(x).
Example
f : Z+→Z+, f(x) = x2 is surjective.
f : N→N, f(x) = x2 is not injective as (−x)2 = x2
Bijective / One-to-one Correspondent
A function f: A→B is bijective or one-to-one
correspondent if and only if f is both injective
and surjective.
Problem
Prove that a function f: R→R defined by f(x) = 2x −
3 is a bijective function.
Explanation − We have to prove this function is both injective and
surjective.
If f(x1) = f(x2), then 2x1 − 3 = 2x2 − 3 and it implies that x1 = x2.
Hence, f is injective.
Here, 2x − 3 = y
So, x = (y + 5)/3 which belongs to R and f(x) = y.
Hence, f is surjective.
Since f is both surjective and injective, we can say f is bijective.
Bijections
A function f is a one-to-one correspondence, or a
bijection, or reversible, or invertible, iff it is both one-
to-one and onto.
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Bijections
