How can I prove that a function is surjective? I understood by scrolling through the old posts, tha

skylsn

skylsn

Answered question

2022-06-13

How can I prove that a function is surjective?
I understood by scrolling through the old posts, that if i have a function like this:
f : R { 2 } R { 5 } f ( x ) = 5 x + 1 x 2
If it is given to me something like this: f : N × N N f ( ( n , m ) ) = 2 n 1 ( 2 m 1 ), how can i prove that is surjective? The fact that i have 2 variable is confusing me. Thanks, I hope the question is well asked.

Answer & Explanation

Rebekah Zimmerman

Rebekah Zimmerman

Beginner2022-06-14Added 32 answers

Step 1
You can follow the definition of surjectivity. A function f : X Y is said to be surjective iff for each y Y there exists x X such that f ( x ) = y. So, if you want to prove a function f : X Y is surjective, your proof looks like the following.
Let y Y be given. Take x = X. Then f ( x ) = = y. Therefore, f is surjective.
A function with more than one variable can be understood as a function on the Cartesian product of sets. Actually, the set N × N is the set of all pairs (m,n) of natural numbers. Therefore, your proof looks like the following.
Step 2
Let k N be given. Take ( m , n ) = N × N . Then f ( ( m , n ) ) = = k. Therefore, f is surjective.
Here, the part "Take ( m , n ) = N × N . can be replaced by "Take m = N , and take n = N , because a pair is determined by its components.

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