An image is the set of values a function takes on a subset of its domain: if f:A→Bf:A\to B is a and S⊆AS\subseteq A, then

f(S)={f(s):s∈S}⊆B.f(S)=\{f(s): s\in S\}\subseteq B.

The image (often called the range) of ff is f(A)f(A).

Remarks

Images are built from of the domain and are paired conceptually with of subsets of the codomain. A function is precisely when f(A)f(A) equals its .

Examples
  • For f:Z→Zf:\mathbb{Z}\to\mathbb{Z} given by f(n)=2nf(n)=2n, the image f(Z)f(\mathbb{Z}) is the set {2k:k∈Z}\{2k: k\in\mathbb{Z}\} of even integers.
  • For f:R→Rf:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R} given by f(x)=x2f(x)=x^2 and S={x∈R:−1≤x≤2}S=\{x\in\mathbb{R}:-1\le x\le 2\}, the image is f(S)={y∈R:0≤y≤4}f(S)=\{y\in\mathbb{R}:0\le y\le 4\}.