A function is surjective or onto if each element of the codomain is mapped to by at least one element of the domain. In other words, each element of the codomain has non-empty preimage. Equivalently, a function is surjective if its image is equal to its codomain.

How do you determine if a function is surjective?

Definition : A function f : A → B is an surjective, or onto, function if the range of f equals the codomain of f. In every function with range R and codomain B, R ⊆ B. To prove that a given function is surjective, we must show that B ⊆ R; then it will be true that R = B.

Why is a function not surjective?

not surjective. To show a function is not surjective we must show f(A) = B. Since a well-defined function must have f(A) ⊆ B, we should show B ⊆ f(A). Thus to show a function is not surjective it is enough to find an element in the codomain that is not the image of any element of the domain.