Whats Your Function?
Jeffrey Williams
Article: http://www.cnbc.com/id/102055126
Part a:
A function is any relationship where every input has exactly one output. This means that every input value can have only one corresponding output value. In the article, the function represented is the relationship between the month and the unemployment rate where the month is the input and the unemployment rate is the output. According to this function, as time progresses, the unemployment rate decreases for 2014. This function is not linear since the data does not form a straight line on the graph and there is not a uniform rate of change in the unemployment rate every month. This function is also not a mathematical model since the months do not influence the unemployment rate.
A function is any relationship where every input has exactly one output. This means that every input value can have only one corresponding output value. In the article, the function represented is the relationship between the month and the unemployment rate where the month is the input and the unemployment rate is the output. According to this function, as time progresses, the unemployment rate decreases for 2014. This function is not linear since the data does not form a straight line on the graph and there is not a uniform rate of change in the unemployment rate every month. This function is also not a mathematical model since the months do not influence the unemployment rate.
Part b:
Article: http://money.cnn.com/2014/05/16/news/economy/minimum-wage-switzerland/
A relationship is not a function if any input value has more than one output value. The graph below shows the minimum wages of various countries. This relationship is not a function since, if the wage is used as the input value and country are used as the output value, two countries have the same minimum wage. More specifically, if $7.90 is the input, both Germany and Canada are the corresponding output values. Therefor, the input of $7.90 has two outputs.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBoth of your examples are great and very accurate showing what is and isn't a function. I had no idea the U.S had the lowest minimum wage.
ReplyDeleteI like the example and how the both relate with economy because I like to learn about the economical changes in the US.
ReplyDeleteI think that your second graph and its reasoning might be a little off. Remember that a relation is a function when there is a single output per every input. You have said above that two different inputs can't have the same output, which in incorrect.
ReplyDeleteYour explanations were very detailed
ReplyDeletejeffery,
ReplyDeletenice examples for this post. good job of explaining your second example. it would have been nice, however, to see some ROC calculations to confirm your explanation of linearity. additionally, you forgot to use function notation when explaining the part about math models.
since you specified that the input value in your second example would be the dollar amount, then that example works for a non-function.
prof little