Name: Gabrielle P.

Mansibang Date: November 16, 2021

Student Exploration: Introduction to Functions

Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.
Vocabulary: domain, function, input, mapping diagram, ordered pair, output, range, relation
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
Matt wants a snack. He finds a vending machine with 25 different snacks. Each one is labeled with a letter (A
to E), and then a number (1 to 5). He decides he wants the chips in slot A5.
1. Matt puts in his money and pushes the A button.

A. Does the vending machine know what he wants yet? No

B. Explain. The vending machine is a function that depends on someone, just like the dependent
variable, which needs two variables to create a value. Therefore, Matt needs to guide
the vending machine to know what Matt wants.

2. Then Matt pushes the 5 button. What does that tell the machine to do?

It tells the vending machine to get the chips in slot A5, which is the input of 25 different snacks, which is
the output.

Gizmo Warm-up
In the Introduction to Functions Gizmo, you can create and analyze relations. A relation is a set
of (input, output) or (x, y) ordered pairs. The Gizmo gives you three ways to link input values to
output values, to form these pairs.
1. In the Gizmo, turn on Show mapping diagram and Show ordered pairs. In the mapping
diagram, click-and-drag an arrow from the red 3 to blue 1, as shown to the right. This means,
“For an input of 3, the output is 1.”

A. How is this expressed as an ordered pair? {3,1}

B. Turn on Show graph. How is this relationship shown on the graph?

3 points to the right, and 1 point up

2. Drag another point onto the graph.

A. What ordered pair did you graph? {5,2}

B. How is this ordered pair shown on the mapping diagram?

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 C. Express this relationship as a sentence: For an input of 5 the output is 2

Get the Gizmo ready:

Activity A: ● Click Clear all.

Relations
● Be sure Show mapping diagram, Show ordered
pairs, and Show graph are selected.

1. Consider this relation: (1, 5), (4, 2), (3, 1), and (2, 4).

A. First, click inside the Show ordered pairs box, type (1, 5), and hit Enter. According to this ordered

pair, what is the output of this relation when the input is 1? 5

B. In the Gizmo, type in the other three ordered pairs. The set of all input (x) values form the domain
of a relation. The set of all output (y) values form the range. How can you determine the domain
and range from the mapping diagram?

The mapping diagram has two columns, where the domain is in

the first column, and the range is in the second column. Then,
all the arrows from the domain will go through the range to
determine the relation between any two elements.

C. What are the domain and range of this relation, from smallest to largest?

Domain:{ 1 2 3 4 } Range: { 1 2 4 5 }

2. Click Clear all. Create a graph with 5 points whose domain is {2, 4, 5}.
A. Record the coordinates of your points in the table to the right.
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 B. What is the range of your relation? {1, 2, 3, 5}

C. Look at the mapping diagram in the Gizmo. If a relation has more numbers in
its range than in its domain, like this one does, what has to be true

Not function

3. Consider this relation: If the input is 3, the output is 5. If the input is 2, the output is 2. If the input is 1, the
output is 4. If the input is 4, the output is 5. First, sketch the relation’s mapping diagram, ordered pairs, and
graph below. Then create it in the Gizmo to check your answer.

Get the Gizmo ready:

Activity B: ● Click Clear all.
Functions ● Turn on Show mapping diagram and Show
ordered pairs.

1. In the Gizmo, create the mapping diagram for this relation: {(1, 4), (5, 5), (3, 2), (3, 3)}.

A. Fill in the blanks with the output for each of the following inputs.

input 1, output 4 input 5, output 5 input 3, output {2, 3}

B. Select Show function test under the mapping diagram. Why is this relation not a function?

The relation is not a function because of the two ordered pairs that have the same
first coordinate, which are the {3, 2} and {3, 3}.

C. Which input is the “problem case” for this relation? Input 3 is the problem case.

D. How do you think you can spot a “problem case” on the graph? The graph shows the line of
input 3 has two points at the
same time.
Turn on Show graph to check.
E. In the Gizmo, drag the point at (3, 3) to (4, 3). Look at Show function test under the mapping
diagram. Why is this new relation a function?
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 The new relation does not show two ordered pairs that have the same first
coordinates.

F. Select Show function test under the graph. Why does a “vertical line test” tell you if a relation is a
function?

The vertical line test can determine whether the graph defines a function or not.

2. Click Clear all. Create a graph with 4 points whose domain is {1, 2, 3}.
A. Record the coordinates of your points in the table to the right.

B. Is this relation a function? No

Explain Because a function does not allow

two ordered pairs to have
repeated first coordinates.

C. How can you turn this relation into a function?

One of the repeated inputs must change into a different input, so the relation can
turn into a function.
Check your answer in the Gizmo.
3. In general, what makes a relation a function?

Each input that has one input and it’s not a repeated input can make a relation into a
function.

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