S5 Functions

This strand builds on the learners’ experience in junior cycle where they were formally introduced to the concept of a function as that which involves a set of inputs, a set of possible outputs and a rule that assigns one output to each input. The relationship between functions and algebra is further emphasised and learners continue to connect graphical and symbolic representations of functions. They are introduced to calculus as the study of how things change and use derivatives to solve various kinds of real-world problems. They learn how to go from the derivative of a function back to the function itself and

use such methods to solve various geometric problems, such as computation of areas of specified regions