Question

Can you give examples of using functions in real life? By real life I understand not only what we do in everyday living, but also science, economy, and similar.

Answer 1

The applications of functions in real life are as follows:

Everyday Life:

• A slot machine:

A slot machine usually works under a function mechanism, for an instance,a stamp vendor machine, a coke or soda vendor machine.When the customer inserts money into the vendor machine and opts for a specific soda by pushing a button, the machine sends the required soda into the output slot.

The mechanism behind this, is the function which takes an input as money with the button, the rule of the function is the product price which it must match with product and the money insert.The output is the soda / product and of course with a change of coins if needed.

Science:

• Measuring the length of shadows:

The length of the shadows are measured as a function of height and the time of the day.Using shawdows function one can also determine the height of the unknown objects using the same function rule of the ratio of height : time

• Measurement of Thermometer

The temperature between different scales Celsius, Fahrenheit and Kelvin in a thermometer is converted using a functional rule based on the functional relation between the scales of temperature.

For instance,

If the input temperature is in Celsius , by using the function rule, the output is obtained to that equivalent Fahrenheit temperature.

Economy:

• A weekly salary is a function based on the hourly wage rate and the number of hours worked in the company.
• Compound interest is a function which is based on the initial investment that principal investment , rate of interest and time.
• Supply vs Demand is a function, which determines the relation between supply and demand.

For an example,

As supply decreases, the demand for the goods increases.