ABSTRACT
Experimental results are usually reported in tables or graphs. Tables are particularly useful when the data are qualitative or when the precise values listed will be wanted for subsequent use. Graphs are the application of the principle ‘one picture is worth a thousand words’ to the reporting of quantitative data. The figure legend is just as important as the graph because it tells us what quantities are being plotted. Tables and graphs allow us to display relations between quantities. Functions provide a sort of encapsulation that allows us to name a relation and handle it in equations or discussions. The real use of functions only becomes apparent when we consider rules or mappings that are hard or impossible to express in terms of the simple operations, constants, and variables. Our objective is to set the stage and introduce a pair of functions, exponentials and logarithms, which are encountered repeatedly in biology.
