NYS COMMON CORE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM Lesson 2 8•5

Lesson 2: Formal Definition of a Function

Classwork
Exercises 1–5
1. Let 𝑦 be the distance traveled in time 𝑡. Use the function 𝑦 = 16𝑡 2 to calculate the distance the stone dropped for
the given time 𝑡.

Time of interval in seconds

0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4
(𝑡)

Distance stone fell in feet

(𝑦)

a. Are the distances you calculated equal to the table from Lesson 1?

b. Does the function 𝑦 = 16𝑡 2 accurately represent the distance the stone fell after a given time 𝑡? In other
words, does the function assign to 𝑡 the correct distance? Explain.

Lesson 2: Formal Definition of a Function

Date: 11/19/14 S.7
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 NYS COMMON CORE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM Lesson 2 8•5

2. Can the table shown below represent values of a function? Explain.

Input
1 3 5 5 9
(𝑥)
Output
7 16 19 20 28
(𝑦)

3. Can the table shown below represent values of a function? Explain.

Input
0.5 7 7 12 15
(𝑥)
Output
1 15 10 23 30
(𝑦)

4. Can the table shown below represent values of a function? Explain.

Input
10 20 50 75 90
(𝑥)
Output
32 32 156 240 288
(𝑦)

5. It takes Josephine 34 minutes to complete her homework assignment of 10 problems. If we assume that she works
at a constant rate, we can describe the situation using a function.
a. Predict how many problems Josephine can complete in 25 minutes.

Lesson 2: Formal Definition of a Function

Date: 11/19/14 S.8
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 NYS COMMON CORE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM Lesson 2 8•5

b. Write the two-variable linear equation that represents Josephine’s constant rate of work.

c. Use the equation you wrote in part (b) as the formula for the function to complete the table below. Round
your answers to the hundredths place.

Time taken to complete problems

5 10 15 20 25
(𝑥)

Number of problems completed

1.47
(𝑦)

After 5 minutes, Josephine was able to complete 1.47 problems, which means that she was able to complete 1
problem, then get about halfway through the next problem.

d. Compare your prediction from part (a) to the number you found in the table above.

e. Use the formula from part (b) to compute the number of problems completed when 𝑥 = −7. Does your
answer make sense? Explain.

f. For this problem, we assumed that Josephine worked at a constant rate. Do you think that is a reasonable
assumption for this situation? Explain.

Lesson 2: Formal Definition of a Function

Date: 11/19/14 S.9
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 NYS COMMON CORE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM Lesson 2 8•5

Lesson Summary
A function is a rule that assigns to each input exactly one output. The phrase exactly one output must be part of the
definition so that the function can serve its purpose of being predictive.
Functions are sometimes described as an input–output machine. For example, given a function 𝐷, the input is time
𝑡, and the output is the distance traveled in 𝑡 seconds.

Problem Set

1. The table below represents the number of minutes Francisco spends at the gym each day for a week. Does the data
shown below represent values of a function? Explain.
Day
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(𝑥)
Time in minutes
35 45 30 45 35 0 0
(𝑦)

2. Can the table shown below represent values of a function? Explain.

Input
9 8 7 8 9
(𝑥)
Output
11 15 19 24 28
(𝑦)

3. Olivia examined the table of values shown below and stated that a possible rule to describe this function could be
𝑦 = −2𝑥 + 9. Is she correct? Explain.
Input
−4 0 4 8 12 16 20 24
(𝑥)
Output
17 9 1 −7 −15 −23 −31 −39
(𝑦)

Lesson 2: Formal Definition of a Function

Date: 11/19/14 S.10
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 NYS COMMON CORE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM Lesson 2 8•5

4. Peter said that the set of data in part (a) describes a function, but the set of data in part (b) does not. Do you agree?
Explain why or why not.
a.
Input
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
(𝑥)
Output
8 10 32 6 10 27 156 4
(𝑦)

b.
Input
−6 −15 −9 −3 −2 −3 8 9
(𝑥)
Output
0 −6 8 14 1 2 11 41
(𝑦)

5. A function can be described by the rule 𝑦 = 𝑥 2 + 4. Determine the corresponding output for each given input.
Input
−3 −2 −1 0 1 2 3 4
(𝑥)
Output
(𝑦)

6. Examine the data in the table below. The inputs and outputs represent a situation where constant rate can be
assumed. Determine the rule that describes the function.
Input
−1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
(𝑥)
Output
3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38
(𝑦)

7. Examine the data in the table below. The inputs represent the number of bags of candy purchased, and the outputs
represent the cost. Determine the cost of one bag of candy, assuming the price per bag is the same no matter how
much candy is purchased. Then, complete the table.
Bags of
candy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
(𝑥)
Cost
$5.00 $6.25 $10.00
(𝑦)

a. Write the rule that describes the function.

b. Can you determine the value of the output for an input of 𝑥 = −4? If so, what is it?
c. Does an input of −4 make sense in this situation? Explain.

Lesson 2: Formal Definition of a Function

Date: 11/19/14 S.11
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 NYS COMMON CORE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM Lesson 2 8•5

8. A local grocery store sells 2 pounds of bananas for $1.00. Can this situation be represented by a function? Explain.

9. Write a brief explanation to a classmate who was absent today about why the table in part (a) is a function and the
table in part (b) is not.
a.
Input
−1 −2 −3 −4 4 3 2 1
(𝑥)
Output
81 100 320 400 400 320 100 81
(𝑦)

b.
Input
1 6 −9 −2 1 −10 8 14
(𝑥)
Output
2 6 −47 −8 19 −2 15 31
(𝑦)

Lesson 2: Formal Definition of a Function

Date: 11/19/14 S.12
This work is licensed under a
© 2014 Common Core, Inc. Some rights reserved. commoncore.org
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.