expressions represent values and consist of variables, constants, and operators. they do not include an equals sign or assert equality.
algebraic expressions:
equations state that two expressions are equal and include an equals sign. they can be solved to find the values of the variables.
functions describe a relationship between inputs and outputs. each input corresponds to exactly one output.
piecewise functions:
implicit functions: defined by relations not solved for the dependent variable
example: 'x ** 2 + y ** 2 = 1'
inequalities express a relationship where two expressions are not necessarily equal, but one is greater or less than the other.
the number of arguments or inputs a function takes.
types:
unary: a function with one input (eg 'f(x) = x ** 2')
binary: a function with two inputs (eg 'f(x, y) = x + y')
n-ary: a function with n inputs (eg 'f(x_1, ..., x_n) = x_1 + ... + x_n')
the set of all possible inputs for the function.
example: for 'f(x) = sqrt(x)', the domain is 'x >= 0'.
the set of all possible outputs of the function.
example: for 'f(x) = x ** 2', the range is 'y >= 0'.
the set of values that could potentially be outputs, not necessarily all of which are achieved.
example: for 'f: real_numbers -> real_numbers', the codomain is 'real_numbers'.
a function 'f' is injective if different inputs map to different outputs.
example: 'f(x) = 2 x + 1' is injective.
a function 'f' is surjective if every element in the codomain is mapped by some element in the domain.
example: 'f(x) = x ** 3' from 'real_numbers' to 'real_numbers' is surjective.
a function is bijective if it is both injective and surjective.
example: 'f(x) = x + 5' from 'real_numbers' to 'real_numbers' is bijective.
a function 'f' is continuous if small changes in the input result in small changes in the output.
example: 'f(x) = x ** 2' is continuous everywhere.
a function 'f' is differentiable if it has a derivative at each point in its domain.
example: 'f(x) = x ** 3' is differentiable everywhere.
a function 'f' is periodic if there exists a positive number 't' such that 'f(x + t) = f(x)' for all 'x'.
example: 'f(x) = sin(x)' has period '2 pi'.
even function: 'f(-x) = f(x)' for all 'x' in the domain
odd function: 'f(-x) = -f(x)' for all 'x' in the domain
example: 'f(x) = x ** 3'
a function is monotonic if it is either entirely non-increasing or non-decreasing.
a function 'f' is bounded if there exists a number 'm' such that '|f(x)| <= m' for all 'x' in the domain.
a function 'f' has an inverse 'f ** -1' if 'f((f ** -1)(y)) = y' and '(f ** -1)(f(x)) = x'
example: the inverse of 'f(x) = 2 x' is '(f ** -1)(x) = x / 2'