Difference between revisions of "Vertical line test"

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For example, <math>y=x^2</math> is a function because any vertical line intersects it in, at most, one point, while <math>x^2+y^2=1</math> is not a function (try the line <math>x=0</math>).
 
For example, <math>y=x^2</math> is a function because any vertical line intersects it in, at most, one point, while <math>x^2+y^2=1</math> is not a function (try the line <math>x=0</math>).
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[[Category:Algorithms]]
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[[Category:Elementary algebra]]
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[[Category:Functions]]

Revision as of 20:14, 24 January 2008

The vertical line test is a way of determining if a plotted graph is a function.

The vertical line test states that:

A relation is a function iff no vertical line intersects the graph in more than one point.

This is because a function cannot have more than one output for one input.


For example, $y=x^2$ is a function because any vertical line intersects it in, at most, one point, while $x^2+y^2=1$ is not a function (try the line $x=0$). This article is a stub. Help us out by expanding it.