Lesson 9: Function Rules

Problem 1
A function machine takes an input and, based on some rule, produces an output.

The tables below show some input-output pairs for different functions. For each table, describe a function rule in
words that would produce the given outputs from the corresponding inputs. Then fill in the rest of the table values as
inputs and outputs that are consistent with that rule.

a. Input values can be any English word. Output values are letters from the English alphabet.

Input cat house you stem

Output t e u z

b. Input values can be any rational number. Output values can be any rational number.

Input 2 5 -1.53 0 -4

Output 7 10 3.47 5 8

Problem 2
The table below shows the total distance a runner has covered over a given period of time.

Time in minutes (t) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Total distance in miles (d) 0.1 0.25 0.35 0.43 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.62 0.71 0.85

a. Is distance, d, a function of time, t? Explain.

Problem 3
Two input/output tables are shown below.

Table A: Table B:

Input Output Input Output

2 –4 –2

1 –3 1 6

2 –2 0

3 –1 9 –2

a. Table A is not a function. Change the table so that it is a function.

b. Table B is not a function. Complete the table with values to show it is not a function.
 Lesson 9: Target Task

Problem 1
At a local bank, when you open an account, you provide certain information that is stored in the bank's records. The
table below shows the names and mailing zip codes of some of the bank's customers.

Customer Name Zip Code

Tyler Jackson 70114

Justine Goodman 12084

Tristan Manuel 30311

Vanera Caro 30311

Mia Lee 20815

a. Suppose F is the rule that takes a customer's name and provides their mailing zip code. According to the
information in this table, is F a function? Explain your reasoning.

b. Suppose G is the rule that takes a customer's mailing zip code and provides their name. According to the
information in this table, is G a function? Explain your reasoning.

c. If the bank is looking for a way to identify specific customers, why would using their zip code not be a good
way to do this? What other input might the bank use instead?
 Lesson 9: Problem Set

1. A function rule is given below. Complete the table of values for the function.

Input (x) −6 −2 8 18 24 34

Output (y)

2. Samuel started the table below to show an example of a relationship that is not a function. Complete his table so
that it is not a function.

Time (min), x 15 17

Distance (miles), y
3. The table below shows the amount of rainfall in a city during each month of the rainy season.

Month 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Rainfall (cm) 8.5 9.2 7.0 6.5 8.5 5.3 6.1

a. What was the amount of rainfall in month 9?

b. In which month did it rain the most?

c. Is the amount of rainfall a function of the month? Explain why or why not.

d. Is the month a function of the amount of rainfall? Explain why or why not.

4. Imagine a 7th grader wants to learn about functions. Create a table to show the 7th grader an example of a
function, and explain.
5. Determine the relationship between the amount of rice in pounds and the cost in dollars. Then complete the table
below. Assume the relationship between the amount of rice and the cost of rice is the same for all values.

Amount of Rice (lbs) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Cost (dollars) 9.00 13.50 15.75

Month
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
(M)

Flowering
1 3 40 55 50 10 2 0 0 0 1 1
trees (F)

Fruiting
0 0 0 3 15 40 55 58 50 45 40 10
trees (R)

a. Based on the data in the table, is R a function of F? Explain how you know.

b. Based on the data in the table, is F a function of R? Explain how you know.

c. Are either F or R a function of M? Explain how you know.

Name of Tenant C. Jackson K. Thomas J. Hill Y. Loomis P. Brown

Apartment Number 301 218 201 115 218

a. Is the name of the tenant a function of the apartment number? Explain why or why not.

b. Is the apartment number a function of the name of the tenant? Explain why or why not.