Look up Function in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

In common parlance, as well as in engineering, function denotes a property of something, and which is used/applied for an objective/goal/purpose/scope. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary is a Wikimedia Foundation project intended to be a free wiki dictionary (hence: Wiktionary) (including thesaurus and lexicon) in every language. ... // Use of the term In common usage, property means ones own thing and refers to the relationship between individuals and the objects which they see as being their own to dispense with as they see fit. ... Template:Wiktionarypar objective Objective may be: Objective lens, an optical element in a camera or microscope. ... Look up goal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Purpose is deliberately thought-through goal-directedness. ... The scope of a given activity or subject is the area or range that it covers. ...

In different contexts, the word function may mean:

• In mathematics and most scientific and technical fields, an abstract entity that associates every element (input, argument) of a certain set of numbers or other objects to a corresponding element (output, result) in some other set: see function (mathematics).
• In computer science, depending on the context and programming language:
  • A mathematical function, as above.
  • Any subroutine or procedure.
  • A subroutine that returns a value.
  • A subroutine which has no side-effects; see functional programming.
  • A function object, a concept of object-oriented programming.
• In some scientific or technical contexts, a deterministic relation between two quantities or phenomena, e.g. by definition, by design, or by a natural cause-and-effect connection.
• In language studies, the grammatical function of a word or phrase in a sentence.
• In sociology, the focus of functionalism: see social function.
• In philosophy, a normative relation of objects to their use or consequences; see function (philosophy).
• In engineering and systems science/systemics we have a shortest and most general definition of function, as " every goal-oriented property of system or process" (TOGA meta-theory, 1993). In fact, it is possible to realize the same function using different physical processes, and one process can be a carrier of multiple functions. For example, the main function of a clock, the presentation of time, can be realized by different physical processes, including atomic, electronic, and mechanical processes. In many cases, this concept is also used in a metaphoric sense, for example, by attributing a goal to the natural selection processes.
• In physics, the concept function exists only in the mathematical sense because the concept goal does not exist. However if we change the application/use of an object, it may change dramatically functions without changing any of its own physical properties.
• In music, the role (tonic, dominant, etc.) of a note in a chord: see diatonic functionality.

Euclid, a famous Greek mathematician known as the father of geometry, is shown here in detail from The School of Athens by Raphael. ... For mathematical sciences, see mathematics. ... ... Partial plot of a function f. ...   Computer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems. ... A programming language is an artificial language intended to be usable for controlling the behavior of a machine (often a computer). ... In computer science, a subroutine (function, method, procedure, or subprogram) is a portion of code within a larger program, which performs a specific task and is relatively independent of the remaining code. ... In computer science, a subroutine (function, method, procedure, or subprogram) is a portion of code within a larger program, which performs a specific task and is relatively independent of the remaining code. ... In computer science, a subroutine (function, method, procedure, or subprogram) is a portion of code within a larger program, which performs a specific task and is relatively independent of the remaining code. ... In computer science, a side-effect is a property of a programming language function that it modifies some state other than its return value. ... Functional programming is a programming paradigm that conceives computation as the evaluation of mathematical functions and avoids state and mutable data. ... A function object, often called a functor, is a computer programming construct allowing an object to be invoked or called as if it were an ordinary function, usually with the same syntax. ... In computer science, object-oriented programming, OOP for short, is a computer programming paradigm. ... Determinism is the philosophical proposition that every event, including human cognition and action, is causally determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences. ... The philosophical concept of causality, the principles of causes, or causation, the working of causes, refers to the set of all particular causal or cause-and-effect relations. ... If grammar is seen as studying the relations and architectures of language, such relations and structures would then have supports and anchors, forces and motions, features and property equivalencies, and roles galore just as a building or organixm has. ... Social interactions of people and their consequences are the subject of sociology studies. ... Please note the difference between structural functionalism, which was developed by Meyer Fortes and Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard, and structuralism, a theoretical concept developed by other (generally later) anthropologists like Claude Lévi-Strauss and Edmund Leach. ... The article is about functionalism in sociology; for other uses, see functionalism. ... Philosopher in Meditation (detail), by Rembrandt. ... Norms are a sort of sentences or sentence meanings, the most common of which are commands and permissions. ... In philosophy, an object is a thing, an entity, or a being. ... The philosophical concept of causality, the principles of causes, or causation, the working of causes, refers to the set of all particular causal or cause-and-effect relations. ... Engineering is the application of scientific and technical knowledge to solve human problems. ... Systems science is the science of complex systems. ... Systems theory or general systems theory or systemics is an interdisciplinary field which studies systems as a whole. ... Goal-oriented or goal-driven is a property of systems which are able to think/reason using symbols. ... Look up system in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up Process in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Process (lat. ... In general, a carrier is a system or process with a specific property or is attributed of something (in physical or in abstract sense). ... Natural selection is the process by which individual organisms with favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce. ... Physics (from the Greek, φυσικός (physikos), natural, and φύσις (physis), nature) is the Science of Nature. ... Look up goal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The tonic is the first note of a musical scale, and in the tonal method of music composition it is extremely important. ... In music, the dominant is the fifth degree of the scale. ... Fingering for a C-major trichord on a guitar in standard tuning (assuming all six strings are played). ... See also: function and functional. ...

Other meaning

• Functionary, someone who carries out a particular role within an organisation; a close synonym for official