ABSTRACT
A function is a conceptual device that defines the relationship between two variables. The relationship is often expressed in the form of an equation or a graphical curve. In his study of the motion of an object, Isaac Newton developed a theory expressing the curvature and the area enclosed by a curve as algebraic limits. In so doing, he laid the foundation for the mathematical discipline, called analysis, which links shapes, computation, and physical phenomena through the concept of functions.
