The Basics Of Functions
A Function is basically a definition. It defines one variable in terms or another (or several others). For example, the function that describes a straight line is f(x) = y = mx + b. In this function, m is the slope of our straight line, and b is the y-intercept. Our variables are x and y.
We can see that if we put a number in for x, we will find a value for y. The value of y depends upon the value of x. In this function, y is known as a dependent variable, and x is an independent variable.