4. Functions and Algebra with Python

Overview

Throughout the previous chapter, we discussed a plethora of statistics-related topics, including variables, descriptive statistics, and inference. In this chapter, we come back to the general topic of mathematics and examine two of its most fundamental components: functions and algebra. These topics will be introduced and theoretically discussed in parallel with their respective implementations in Python. Knowledge of these topics will allow you to tackle some of the most common real-life problems that can be solved using mathematics and programming, which we will see an example of in the final activity of this chapter.

By the end of this chapter, you will have a firm grasp on the concept of mathematical functions and relevant notions such as domain, range, and graphing. Additionally, you will learn how to solve algebraic equations or systems of equations by hand as well as via Python programming.