Introduction to functions lesson plan

The price of gas right now is around $2.30. If my car’s tank is empty and needs 20 gallons of
gas to fill it, how much will I need to pay? (y=2.3x) x=20, so y=46

Congrats, you all just used what is called a function to find your answer.

Write goals of the day: Learn what a function is, the different forms it can take, and how to use
functions to solve problems.

A function is a relationship between two variables

Draw diagram: Input ---> F(x) ---> Output

Real World Examples:

Cooking (use temp/time as a function, with ingredients as input). Include how if you get
two different results from the same input/function, it isn’t a function.

Use height as a function (give an idea of what the graph may look like)

What other types of functions can you think of in the real world?

Forms that functions take on -

Graphical: Show y=x, and walk the students through the process of how each x value
corresponds to a y value (input to output). Solve f(5) and f(x)=4

Talk about what happens when 1 input gives two outputs again. Show example of y2=x.

Show y=2x. Ask about f(3)=y. Then ask about f(x)=3.

Go back to height as a function. Ask students to sketch their guess as to what height
would look like as a function. Walk them through setting up the graph to start. Which is y-axis
and which is x? Go by inches and years.

Ask for volunteers to draw their line. Put multiple examples over the graph in different
colors. Then compare to the online graph.

Move on to table form - create a table. Explain how each x goes through the function to get a y
value.

Ask students about what they could see in the table that would make this not a function. Look
for answer the same x-val giving 2 y-vals

Repeat this process with equations. y=2x, solve for f(3) and f(x)=3. Then reconnect it to the
graph show earlier.
Move to world problems - Students should look for the independent variable (input), dependent
variable (output), and function in each problem.

Ex (I do): 1. Suppose that the water level of a river is 34 feet and that it is receding at a rate of
0.5 foot per day. Write an equation for the water level, L, after d days. In how many days will the
water level be 26 feet?

Ex (I do, with students guiding process): Seth’s father is thinking of buying his son a six-month
movie pass for $40. With the pass, matinees cost $1.00. If matinees are normally $3.50 each,
how many times must Seth attend in order for it to benefit his father to buy the pass?

Ex (They do): For babysitting, Nicole charges a flat fee of $3, plus $5 per hour. Write an
equation for the cost, C, after h hours of babysitting.
Students discuss their answers with a classmate. Share out.

Ex: At Joe's pizzeria a pizza costs $5 with the first topping, and then an additional 75 cents for
each additional topping. If x represents the number of toppings on a pizza, what function
represents the cost of a pizza with at least one topping? (f(x)=0.75(x-1)+5

Reflection: There were a few pieces to this lesson that I particularly enjoyed or thought was very
effective. First was using different real life applications of input versus output to explain
functions. The analogies used seemed to be effective and students were able to give good real
life examples of functions in return (showing their understanding). Since I didn’t write them down
I can’t remember all of them, but some of the highlights were banking, getting paid, exercise,
and painting as examples of functions. It was nice to see functions being involved in ways that
you wouldn’t normally see used as examples in a math class. After that, I enjoyed having
students write their guesses on a graph down and then exploring it as a class. I felt that it did its
job in getting students really engaged with the material and getting a good understanding of why
certain details of a graph makes sense. I also liked working on the word problems. We didn’t
make it through all of the word problems, but I can tell that they are a struggling point for
students. Doing this lesson again, I would change how I taught the functions as tables. I feel like
this was the weakest part of the lesson and needs more work. I would include more student
involvement in this section.