Função: conceito e aplicações

Abstract

This article aims to understand the historical development of the concept of function throughout the history of mathematics, from its early notion of dependence between quantities to its formal definition proposed by mathematicians and scholars who, over a long period, contributed significantly to its evolution. It also explores how the application of this concept can be carried out through mathematical modeling, highlighting its importance as a tool capable of analyzing and solving problems. This research is characterized as bibliographic and exploratory and, based on the analysis of scientific publications from 2019 to 2024, seeks to present applications of the concept of function through modeling. The results show that linear, quadratic, exponential, and logarithmic functions are effective in representing physical, biological, and economic phenomena, demonstrating the versatility of the concept. It is concluded, therefore, that the concept of function, in addition to being a theoretical and historically significant construction, is also a practical and essential tool for solving problems in various fields.