Flow charts show a set of instructions which are to be followed. When you put a value into the start of the flow chart and follow the results you should get a result.
Flow charts are made up of boxes, each with their own function. The shape of the box shows what it is doing.
 | Used to show the start or end of a sequence |
 | Contains the instructions you follow |
 | These are decision boxes which contain yes or no questions |
These boxes are joined together by arrows which shows the direction you have to follow the instructions.
An example of a simple flow chart follows:
If you think of a number and follow the flow chart you would get a new result.
If you think of the number 2, you would:
This means when you put 2 in, you get 21 out.
You can get the same result by using the equation y = 3 ( x + 5 ). Where x is the number you put in and y is the result. As a function, it would be seen as: f(x) = 3 ( x + 5 )
When looking at the equation you can easily change the subject:
This means the inverse function is: f-1(x) = x/3 - 5
This can be made into an inverse of a flow chart:
If you think of a number and follow the flow chart you would get a new result.
If you think of the number 21 from the first result, you would:
The inverse has returned the number back to what the subject used to be.
