Timeline for Notation $y$ vs $y(x)$ for differential equation
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
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| Nov 27 at 8:41 | comment | added | Michael Bächtold | Your confusion might stem from the common blurring between the modern notion of function and the original meaning of the word. When you say "a function of x" you're using the word in its original sense, and that's precisely the y on the vertical axis. It's a variable quantity that depends on x, like for instance a temperature that depends on time. On the other hand, the $f$ in $y=f(x)$ is what people since ~1940 call a function. That's not a variable quantity like temperature or number, does not depend on x and is not the thing on the vertical axis. Visually it's best thought of as the graph. | |
| Nov 26 at 23:57 | history | answered | paul garrett | CC BY-SA 4.0 |