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Determining if an Equation Defines a Function

To determine whether an equation in two variables defines a function (assuming xx is the independent variable and yy is the dependent variable), the systematic procedure is to algebraically solve the equation for yy. Then, test the equation by substituting a specific numerical value for xx. If each value substituted for xx results in exactly one corresponding value for yy, the equation defines a function. Conversely, if substituting a specific value for xx produces two or more distinct values for yy, the equation does not define a function because a single input cannot map to multiple outputs.

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Updated 2026-05-06

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