Function

n.	1.	The act of executing or performing any duty, office, or calling; performance.
	2.	(Physiol.) The appropriate action of any special organ or part of an animal or vegetable organism; as, the function of the heart or the limbs; the function of leaves, sap, roots, etc.; life is the sum of the functions of the various organs and parts of the body.
	3.	The natural or assigned action of any power or faculty, as of the soul, or of the intellect; the exertion of an energy of some determinate kind. As the mind opens, and its functions spread. - Pope.
	4.	The course of action which peculiarly pertains to any public officer in church or state; the activity appropriate to any business or profession. Tradesmen . . . going about their functions. - Shak. The malady which made him incapable of performing his regal functions. - Macaulay.
	5.	(Math.) A quantity so connected with another quantity, that if any alteration be made in the latter there will be a consequent alteration in the former. Each quantity is said to be a function of the other. Thus, the circumference of a circle is a function of the diameter. If x be a symbol to which different numerical values can be assigned, such expressions as x2, 3x, Log. x, and Sin. x, are all functions of x.
	6.	(Eccl.) A religious ceremony, esp. one particularly impressive and elaborate. Every solemn function' performed with the requirements of the liturgy. - Card. Wiseman.
	7.	A public or social ceremony or gathering; a festivity or entertainment, esp. one somewhat formal. This function, which is our chief social event. - W. D. Howells. Algebraic function a quantity whose connection with the variable is expressed by an equation that involves only the algebraic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, raising to a given power, and extracting a given root; - opposed to transcendental function. Arbitrary function See under Arbitrary. Calculus of functions See under Calculus. Carnot's function (Thermo-dynamics) a relation between the amount of heat given off by a source of heat, and the work which can be done by it. It is approximately equal to the mechanical equivalent of the thermal unit divided by the number expressing the temperature in degrees of the air thermometer, reckoned from its zero of expansion. Circular functions See Inverse trigonometrical functions (below). - Continuous function, a quantity that has no interruption in the continuity of its real values, as the variable changes between any specified limits. Discontinuous function See under Discontinuous. Elliptic functions a large and important class of functions, so called because one of the forms expresses the relation of the arc of an ellipse to the straight lines connected therewith. Explicit function a quantity directly expressed in terms of the independently varying quantity; thus, in the equations y = 6x2, y = 10 -x3, the quantity y is an explicit function of x. Implicit function a quantity whose relation to the variable is expressed indirectly by an equation; thus, y in the equation x2 + y2 = 100 is an implicit function of x. Inverse trigonometrical functions the lengths of arcs relative to the sines, tangents, etc. Thus, AB is the arc whose sine is BD, and (if the length of BD is x) is written sin -1x, and so of the other lines. See Trigonometrical function (below). Other transcendental functions are the exponential functions, the elliptic functions, the gamma functions, the theta functions, etc. One-valued function a quantity that has one, and only one, value for each value of the variable. Transcendental functions a quantity whose connection with the variable cannot be expressed by algebraic operations; thus, y in the equation y = 10x is a transcendental function of x. See Algebraic function (above). Trigonometrical function a quantity whose relation to the variable is the same as that of a certain straight line drawn in a circle whose radius is unity, to the length of a corresponding are of the circle. Let AB be an arc in a circle, whose radius OA is unity let AC be a quadrant, and let OC, DB, and AF be drawnpependicular to OA, and EB and CG parallel to OA, and let OB be produced to G and F. E Then BD is the sine of the arc AB; OD or EB is the cosine, AF is the tangent, CG is the cotangent, OF is the secant OG is the cosecant, AD is the versed sine, and CE is the coversed sine of the are AB. If the length of AB be represented by x (OA being unity) then the lengths of Functions. these lines (OA being unity) are the trigonometrical functions of x, and are written sin x, cos x, tan x (or tang x), cot x, sec x, cosec x, versin x, coversin x. These quantities are also considered as functions of the angle BOA.
v. i.	1.	To execute or perform a function; to transact one's regular or appointed business.

Noun	1.	function - a mathematical relation such that each element of one set is associated with at least one element of another set Synonyms: mathematical function
	2.	function - what something is used for; "the function of an auger is to bore holes"; "ballet is beautiful but what use is it?" Synonyms: purpose, role, use
	3.	function - the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group; "the function of a teacher"; "the government must do its part"; "play its role" Synonyms: role, office, part
	4.	function - a relation such that one thing is dependent on another; "height is a function of age"; "price is a function of supply and demand"
	5.	function - a formal or official social gathering or ceremony; "it was a black-tie function"
	6.	function - a vaguely specified social event; "the party was quite an affair"; "an occasion arranged to honor the president"; "a seemingly endless round of social functions" Synonyms: social function, social occasion, occasion, affair
	7.	function - a set sequence of steps, part of larger computer program Synonyms: subprogram, subroutine, procedure, routine
Verb	1.	function - perform as expected when applied; "The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in"; "Does this old car still run well?"; "This old radio doesn't work anymore" Synonyms: operate, work, run, go Antonyms: malfunction, misfunction - fail to function or function improperly; "the coffee maker malfunctioned"
	2.	function - serve a purpose, role, or function; "The tree stump serves as a table"; "The female students served as a control group"; "This table would serve very well"; "His freedom served him well"; "The table functions as a desk" Synonyms: serve
	3.	function - perform duties attached to a particular office or place or function; "His wife officiated as his private secretary" Synonyms: officiate

1.	(mathematics)	function - (Or "map", "mapping") If D and C are sets (the domain and codomain) then a function f from D to C, normally written "f : D -> C" is a subset of D x C such that:
2.		function - For each d in D there exists some c in C such that (d,c) is an element of f. I.e. the function is defined for every element of D.
3.		function - For each d in D, c1 and c2 in C, if both (d,c1) and (d,c2) are elements of f then c1 = c2. I.e. the function is uniquely defined for every element of D. See also image, inverse, partial function.
4.	(programming)	function - Computing usage derives from the mathematical term but is much less strict. In programming (except in functional programming), a function may return different values each time it is called with the same argument values and may have side effects. A procedure is a function which returns no value but has only side-effects. The C language, for example, has no procedures, only functions. ANSI C even defines a type, void, for the result of a function that has no result.

IC analysis, act, act as, acting, action, activism, activities, affairs, aim, ambition, animus, appositive, aspiration, assignment, attribute, attributive, baccalaureate service, bag, banquet, be effective, be in action, behave, behavior, business, capacity, celebration, ceremonial, character, chore, commencement, commerce, commission, complement, concern, concernment, construction modifier, convocation, counsel, cutting, deep structure, desideration, desideratum, design, desire, determination, dinner, direct object, do duty, doing, duty, effect, employ, employment, empty formality, end use, enterprise, event, exercise, exercises, faculty, filler, fixed purpose, form, form of worship, form-function unit, formal, formality, formula, formulary, functioning, gala, go, goal, graduation, graduation exercises, have effect, have free play, have play, holy rite, idea, immediate constituent analysis, immediate purpose, inaugural, inauguration, indirect object, initiation, institution, intendment, intent, intention, interest, job, labor, levels, liturgy, lookout, make, mark, matter, meaning, militate, mind, mission, mode of worship, modifier, motive, move, movements, mummery, mystery, nisus, object, objective, observance, occasion, occupation, office, officiate, operate, operational purpose, operations, order of worship, ordinance, part, party, percolate, perform, perform as, performance, perk, phrase structure, place, plan, play, point, position, practice, praxis, predicate, prescribed form, proceed, project, proposal, prospectus, province, purpose, qualifier, raison d'etre, ranks, reception, religious ceremony, resolution, resolve, responsibility, rite, rite de passage, rite of passage, ritual, ritual observance, rituality, role, run, sacrament, sacramental, sake, serve, service, shallow structure, slot, slot and filler, solemnity, solemnization, strata, striving, structure, study, subject, surface structure, swing, syntactic analysis, syntactic structure, syntactics, syntax, tagmeme, take effect, target, task, thing, tick, ultimate purpose, underlying structure, undertaking, use, view, will, word arrangement, word order, work, work as, working, workings

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