If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.

Main content

Recognizing functions from verbal description word problem

Checking whether a description of the price of an order can be represented as a function of the shipping cost. Created by Sal Khan.

Want to join the conversation?

Video transcript

Jada is ordering Mother's Day gifts online. The shipping costs are based on the dollar amount of the order. For orders less than $20, shipping costs $4. For orders $20 or more, shipping is $7. Can the dollar amount of the order be represented as a function of shipping costs? So they're saying, can the dollar amount of the order-- so can the amount of order be represented as a function of shipping-- let me do that in that blue color costs. So if we have the shipping costs as an input, will that map to exactly-- for a given input, will we get exactly one output for the amount of order? In order for this to be represented as a function, we have to input a shipping cost, a shipping cost where this relationship is defined. We need to input a shipping cost, put it into our relationship, and get exactly one dollar amount of the order in order for this to be a function. If we get multiple dollar amounts of the order, then the relationship, well, it's still a relationship, but it's not going to be a function. So let's think about it. What are the possible inputs here? Well, there's only two possible shipping costs. Shipping costs are either going to be $4, or they're going to be $7. So let's think about what happens when we input $4 in as a shipping cost. So if we input $4 into our relationship, so we input $4 into our little potential function box, so $4 into it, what is the output? What is going to be the amount of the order? Well, if the shipping cost is $4, the amount of the order just has to be anything less than $20. So it could have been $1. It could have been $1.50. It could've been $7. It literally can take on any value up to $20. So it could even be $19.99. We could do a similar thing if we input 7 into this relationship. If 7 was-- and I could put literally an infinite number of numbers. It could be a million dollars. So if I input 7 into this relationship that we're trying to test whether it's a function, if 7 is the shipping costs, then the order we just know is over $20, $20 or more. So it could be $20. It could be $800. It could be $1 million. There's actually an infinite number of values that it could take on right over here. So because for a valid shipping cost, for each of these valid shipping costs, I can get many, many, many potential outputs, I don't know which output it necessarily will output to. If someone tells you the shipping costs and you don't necessarily know what the order size was, this is not a function. You cannot represent the amount of order as a function of the shipping cost. So, no.