Into Function and Bijective Function: Definition & Differences

Into Function and Bijective Function: Definition & Differences

Komal MiglaniUpdated on 02 Jul 2025, 08:08 PM IST

Functions can be defined as the relation between two sets where every element in one set has a unique element in another. A bijective functions are one of an important topic in set theory and Mathematics. These concepts are used in various fields like calculus, physics, engineering etc.

Into Function and Bijective Function: Definition & Differences
Into Function and Bijective Function: Definition & Differences

In this article, we will cover the concepts of bijective function. This concept falls under the broader category of sets relation and function, a crucial Chapter in class 11 Mathematics. It is not only essential for board exams but also for competitive exams like the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Main), and other entrance exams such as SRMJEE, BITSAT, WBJEE, BCECE, and more. Over the last ten years of the JEE Main exam (from 2013 to 2023), a total of seven questions have been asked on this concept, including one in 2019, one in 2021, one in 2022, and four in 2023.

Function

$A$ and $B$ are two non-empty sets, then a relation from $A$ to $B$ is said to be a function if each element $x$ in $A$ is assigned a unique element $f(x)$ in $B$, and it is written as

$f: A ➝ B$ and read as $f$ is mapping from $ A$ to $B.$

Domain of a function

All possible values of $x$ for $f(x)$ is defined $(f(x)$ is a real number) is known as a domain.
If a function is defined from $A$ to $B$ i.e. f: $A \rightarrow B$, then all the elements of $\operatorname{set} A$ is called the Domain of the function.

Co-domain of a function

If a function is defined from $A$ to $B$ i.e. $f: A \rightarrow B$, then set $B$ is called the Co-domain of the function.

Range of a function

It is defined as all the values that the function assumes or in other words we can also say the output of the given function. It is also known as the image set of the function.

Injective function(one-one function)

A function $f: A \rightarrow B$ is called one - one function if distinct elements of $A$ have distinct images in $B$.

Eg. $f: X \longrightarrow Y$, function given by $y=f(x)=x$, and
$X=\{-2,2,4,6\}$ and $Y=\{-2,2,4,6\}$

Surjective Function(onto function)

A function $f: A \rightarrow B$ is said to be onto function if the range of $f$ is equal to the co-domain of $f$.

Eg.

$\mathrm{X}=\left\{\mathrm{x}_1, \mathrm{x}_2, \mathrm{x}_3, \mathrm{x}_4\right\}$ and $\mathrm{Y}=\left\{\mathrm{y}_1, \mathrm{y}_2, \mathrm{y}_3\right\}$

$
f: X \rightarrow Y
$

Bijective Function

A function $f: X \rightarrow Y$ is said to be bijective, if $f$ is both one-one and onto (both injective and surjective)

Eg.
Consider, $\mathrm{X}_1=\{1,2,3\}$ and $\mathrm{X}_2=\{\mathrm{x}, \mathrm{y}, \mathrm{z}\}$

$
f: X_1 \rightarrow X_2
$

The function f is a injective function as the every distinct elements in $X_1$ has unique images in $X_2$ and a surjective function as every elemt in $X_2$ has a pre-image in $X_1$.

The number of bijective functions

If $\mathrm{f}(\mathrm{x})$ is bijective, and the function is from a finite set A to a finite set B , then $n(A)=n(B)=m($ Say $)$ And, the number of Bijective functions $=\mathrm{m}$ !

While mapping the two functions, i.e., the mapping between $A$ and $B$ (where $B$ need not be different from $A$) to be a bijection,

  • each element of $A$ must be paired with at least one element of $B$,
  • no element of $A$ may be paired with more than one element of $B$,
  • each element of B must be paired with at least one element of $A$, and
  • no element of B may be paired with more than one element of $A$.

Difference between Injective, Surjective, and Bijective Function

S.No

Injective Function

Surjective Function

Bijective Function

1A function that always maps the distinct element of its domain to the distinct element of its codomainA function that maps one or more elements of $A$ to the same element of $B$A function that is both injective and surjective
2It is also known as one-to-one functionIt is also known as onto functionIt is also known as one-to-one correspondence
3Injective FunctionSurjective FunctionBijective Function

Some examples of Bijective functions are:

  • Linear functions: $f(x) = x, g(x) = x + 10, h(x) = 5x – 5$, etc.
  • Polynomial Functions: $f(x) = x^3, g(x) = x^3 – 1 $
  • Exponential functions: $f(x) = e^x, where f : R → (0, \infty)$
  • Absolute Value Function: $f(x) = x|x|$
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Properties

  • Inverse Exists: A bijective function has an inverse function that undoes the mapping, taking an element from the codomain back to an element in the domain.
  • Unique Inverse: The inverse of a bijective function is unique, meaning there is only one function that reverses the mapping.
  • Preservation of Composition: If you compose a bijective function with another function, the composition is also bijective.

How to Identify a Bijective Functions?

To figure out if a function is bijective, there is a 2 step process to identify:

  1. Injective function
  2. Surjective function

If the give function is both injective and surjective, then it is a bijective function.

Recommended Video Based on Into and Bijective Functions

Solved Examples Based On the Into and Bijective Functions

Example 1: Let $f: N \rightarrow Y$ be a function defined as $f(x)=4 x+3$ where $Y=\{y \in N: y=4 x+3$ for some $x \in y\}$. Show that $f$ is invertible and its inverse is?

Solution:
As we learned in
Bijective Function -
The function that is both one-on-one and onto is the Bijective Function.

$
f(x)=4 x+3
$


Let $y=4 x+3$

$
\frac{y-3}{4}=x=g(y)
$

Example 2: If $n(A)=3$ and $n(B)=5$. How many bijective functions are possible from $A$ to $B$ ?
Solution:

If $n(A)=n(B)=m$, then the number of bijective functions from $A$ to $B=m!$.
Here, $n(A) \neq n(B)$
So, bijective functions are not possible.
Hence, the answer is 0 .

Example 3: Which of the following function is a bijective function?

1) $f(x)=\frac{x^2-4}{x-2}$

2) $f(x)=x^2$

3) $f_3(x)=3 x+4$

4) $f_4(x)=\frac{x^2-1}{x+1}$

Solution:

$f_1(x)$ is not defined for $\mathrm{x}=2$, and it does not have 4 in its range, so into and thus not bijective $f_4(x)$ is not defined for $\mathrm{x}=-1$, and does not have -2 in its range, so not bijective $f_3(x)=3 \mathrm{x}+4$ is defined for $\mathrm{x} \in \mathrm{R}$ and it is a one-one and onto function: bijective function $f_2(x)$ is not a one - one function

Hence, the answer is the option 3.

Example 4: If $n(A)=4$ and $n(B)=4$. Then how many bijective functions can be formed from $A$ to $B$ ?
1) $24$
2) $6$
3) $120$
4) $0$

Solution:

As we have learned
Number of Bijective Function
If $\mathrm{f}(\mathrm{x})$ is a bijection, then $n(A)=n(B)=m($ Say $)$
And the number of Bijective functions $=m$ !
Here, number of bijective function $=4!=24$
Hence, the answer is the option 1.

Example 5: If set $A$ has $5$ elements and set $B$ has $3$ elements. How many bijective function can be formed from $A$ to $B$ ?

1) $120x$
2) $6$
3) $0$
4) $24$

Solution:

As we have learned

Number of Bijective Function
If $\mathrm{f}(\mathrm{x})$ is bijective then $n(A)=n(B)=m($ Say $)$
And the number of Bijective functions $=m$ !

Here

There can be no bijective function from $A$ to $B$ since number of elements should be same for both the sets to form a bijective function

Hence, the answer is the option 3.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How does the concept of injectivity generalize to relations?
A:
In the context of relations, injectivity generalizes to the concept of left-total and right-unique relations. A relation R from set A to set B is injective if for every b in B, there is at most one a in A such that aRb. This preserves the one-to-one nature of injective functions in the more general setting of relations.
Q: What's the relationship between injective functions and the concept of a function's graph in higher dimensions?
A:
In higher dimensions, the graph of an injective function still maintains the property that each point in the codomain corresponds to at most one point in the domain. This can be visualized as no two points in the graph sharing the same projection onto the codomain axes.
Q: Can a continuous function always be made injective by restricting its domain?
A:
Not always. While many continuous functions can be made injective by restricting their domain (like making sin(x) injective on [-π/2, π/2]), some functions, like constant functions, cannot be made injective by any restriction of their domain.
Q: How does injectivity relate to the concept of a function's kernel?
A:
For a function to be injective, its kernel must contain only the zero element. In other words, an injective function maps different inputs to different outputs, so the only input that can map to zero (or the identity element in more general settings) is zero itself.
Q: What's the significance of bijective functions in geometry?
A:
In geometry, bijective functions are often used to define geometric transformations. For example, rotations, reflections, and translations are all bijective functions that map points in a space to other points in the same space.
Q: Can a function be injective if it maps an infinite set to a finite set?
A:
No, a function cannot be injective if it maps an infinite set to a finite set. This scenario would force the function to map infinitely many elements to a finite number of outputs, violating the one-to-one property of injective functions.
Q: How does the concept of injectivity apply in database design?
A:
In database design, injectivity is related to the concept of unique keys. A column or set of columns that forms a unique key essentially defines an injective function from the set of rows to the set of key values.
Q: What's the connection between injective functions and the concept of isomorphism?
A:
Injective functions play a role in defining isomorphisms. An isomorphism is a bijective function that preserves structure. The injective property ensures that distinct elements remain distinct after the mapping.
Q: Can a function be injective if its codomain is smaller than its domain?
A:
No, a function cannot be injective if its codomain is smaller than its domain. This scenario would force at least two elements from the domain to map to the same element in the codomain, violating the definition of injectivity.
Q: How does the concept of injectivity apply to sequences?
A:
A sequence can be viewed as a function from the natural numbers to some set. An injective sequence is one where no term is repeated, also known as a one-to-one sequence.