Use the table to answer the question.
Day of the Week Number of Children in the Car
Sunday 2
Monday 4
Tuesday 4
Wednesday 3
Thursday 4
Friday 3
Saturday 0
Describe the meaning of the word function in math. Then consider the table. Why does this table show a function?
In math, a function is a set of ordered pairs in which each element of the first set (the domain) corresponds to exactly one element of the second set (the range).
This table shows a function because each day of the week (the domain) corresponds to a specific number of children in the car (the range). For example, on Monday there were 4 children in the car, and no other day corresponds to that same number. This means that each element of the domain corresponds to exactly one element of the range, satisfying the definition of a function.
In mathematics, a function is a relation between a set of inputs and a set of outputs, where each input is related to exactly one output. It can be seen as a rule or a mapping that assigns each input value to a unique output value.
Looking at the given table, it shows a function because each day of the week is represented in the first column (set of inputs), and each day has only one corresponding value in the second column (set of outputs) which represents the number of children in the car. This means that for each input (day of the week), there is a unique output (number of children), satisfying the definition of a function.