A function is a process or a relation that associates each element x of a set X, the domain of the function, to a single element y of another set Y (possibly the same set), the codomain of the function. It is customarily denoted by letters such as f, g and h. Functions as define by mathematicians above will seems to be another inapplicable topic to our daily life unless you are, for example, a mathematician or a Programmemer. Which lead us to a simpler and open definition that can be understood by all. The concept of function can be made simpler to understand by the use of the idea of a function machine i.e. an input goes in the machine; something happens to it inside the machine; an output comes out. Another input goes in; another output comes out. What is going in will determine what will come out. For example in the image below the oil is serving as the function machine: Functions, continuous functions, discrete functions, etc. are fundamental concepts in mathematics. In itself they are too general to have much value, but they are very useful for organizing things that we want to study in mathematics and elsewhere. Think of any process where an input produces an output; that process is a function. Here’s a few examples Functions in the real world A soda, snack, or stamp machine the user puts in money, punches a specific button, and a specific item drops into the output slot. (The function rule is the product price. The input is the money combined with the selected button. The output is the product, sometimes delivered along with coins in change, if the user has entered more money than required by the function rule.) Measurement: Temperature: when taking body temperature the temperature of the body will act as the input while the measurement that comes out as either in degree Celsius and Fahrenheit scales is the function output. Weight: when you take your weight usually by standing on a scale your body weight will serve as the input while the measurement usually in kilogram is your output. Fuel Efficiency: A car’s efficiency in terms of kilometer per litre of fuel consumes is a function. If a car typically gets 10L per 100km and you input 50L of fuel, it will be able to travel roughly 500km. The car’s efficiency may be a function of the car’s design (including weight, tires, and aerodynamics), speed, temperature inside and outside of the car, and other factors. Basic economics and money math: Monthly Salary: When you receive your monthly salary what you are been paid is a function of the hourly pay rate and the number of you worked for that month. Income Tax: When calculating your income tax you will observe that you made use of a mathematical function why your salary serve as your input and your tax result is the output. You will observe that the higher your income the higher your income tax.   Compound interest: when interest calculated on an investment the compound interest is a function of initial investment, interest rate, and time or interval of the investment. Supply and demand: when trying to forecast the price of product and service daily we mad use of functions. The price of the product or services acts as the input why the demand serves as the output of the function. As price goes up, demand goes down and vice versa. Machine Learning Most of the operation carried out in our phone, system and other electronic devices is as a result of the application of function. Examples: Mapping image to the names of the people on the images. Mapping digital songs to author/genres/song name Mapping MRI scan data to medical diagnosis Mapping online answers to subject/categories Relating name and number as well as other information about a contact in your phone One of the most widely used applications for functions at the present time is in working with Microsoft Excel Worksheets. All around us daily we made use of function to make life easy either with or without our knowledge. References Wendy, P. (2020). Function in the real world. Education World https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/mathchat/mathchat010.shtml Peter, R. (2019) What are the applications of functions in real life? https://quora.com/what-are-the-applications-of-functions-in-real-life   Agada Apeh Andrew is a Lecturer II at the Department of Mathematical Sciences, School of Sciences and Information Technology at the Skyline University Kano, Nigeria. He obtained his BSc in Mathematics from Benue State University, Makurdi You can join the conversation on Facebook @SkylineUniversityNG and on Twitter @SkylineUNigeria

Introduction Throughout the history of mankind, human lives have been threatened with various outbreaks of disease and pandemic; Polio, small and Chickenpox, and the Spanish Flu, all of which has caused the deaths of millions across the world. Recently, the Coronavirus (Covid19) outbreak which first emerged in Wuhan, China has put global village at a halt for over a year as the virus spread internationally. Reports indicated that over 133 million people were affected in the world, with 2.9 million deaths. The Economic Aspect of Human Security and Covid 19 in Nigeria Developed and advanced nations like the USA seemly suffered the most, with over 30 million cases and a death toll of 500,000. Likewise in other European countries like France and Spain. The virus did not only put a stop to world activities but also led to socio-economic downfall as several studies have indicated. There is no doubt that the Covid-19 virus has had a detrimental effect on the social, political, and economic sphere of human security.  The United Nations development Programme defined human security as safety from chronic threats such as hunger, repression, and diseases. According to the Copenhagen School of security studies, individual vulnerabilities are more complex than ever, contemporary more individuals suffer from diseases, hunger, and interstates conflict. The paradigm of human security extends beyond the traditional state-centric view of security centres on individuals safety such as freedom from fear, wants, and indignity. The dimensions extend to health, economic, environmental, food, etc. It is worthy to highlight that despite the several aspects of the concept, the dimension is interrelated. For example, lack of good health and security can directly affect the nature in which economic activities are conducted i.e. essential agricultural produce for human satisfaction. Thus, this paper will mainly focus on the impact of Covid-19 on the economic aspect of human security.  Human security has always been a major issue in Nigeria, especially in terms of economy, health, hunger and insecurity. These are practical problems that the nation struggle to mitigate since independence. According to The Organizations for Economic Cooperation and Development (OEDC, 2020) before the pandemic, Africa was experiencing a slowdown in poverty and economic growth. As of 2019, Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth which was 3.6%, and growth per capita, around 0.7%, were insufficient to drive rapid economic transformation in the continent (Umukoro, 2020).  Nigerian economy heavily depends on crude oil production, as the pandemic spread internationally, most international markets and economic activities came to a halt, with several states imposing curfews and lockdowns, thus affecting the economy of the country. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) estimates the losses linked to the collapse of the prices of the crude oil barrel at US$65 billion, of which up to US$19 billion losses are expected in Nigeria. In the same vein, Zeng (2020) as cited in Umukoro (2020) stated that the sub-Saharan region will experience a decline from 2.4 % in 2019 to -2.1% and -5.1% in 2020 in economic growth, depending on how the virus is contained. Moreover, the world poverty clock reported that over 100 million Nigerians live under 1.9$ a day and considered in extreme poverty.  Evidently, with the above data and national lockdown that was imposed by the federal government of Nigeria to mitigate the spread of the virus, which played a significant role in affecting small scale business that operates on daily wages and profit i.e. Food hawkers, Tea sellers, barbershops and restaurants. Most people who engage in this small scale business depend on the daily profit for survival. Furthermore, the restriction of movement also led to an increase in the price of agricultural and food products all over the country. Therefore, making it more difficult for the poor to feed their families. According to an article published under the International Community of The Red Cross “The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic put additional strain on the vulnerable communities in the North-East of Nigeria, where the decade-long armed conflict is severely hampering agricultural production and self-sufficiency of local farmers. Everywhere we work the food prices have gone up, in some places they doubled. It means that millions of people in the North-East of Nigeria do not have enough to eat” said the economic security Programme coordinator for the ICRC. In Conclusion, it can be argued that the Covid 19 virus has negatively affected human security in Nigeria through the economic downfall and shutdown of small scale businesses in the country which directly affected individuals ability to attain food security.        Reference  Covid19.ncdc.gov.ng. 2021. NCDC Coronavirus COVID-19 Microsite. [Online] Available at:

Introduction Covid-19 shocked the world and destroyed many economies and organizations. Job losses and misfortunes have hit families and marked family salaries. Hence, many families have encountered income stuns because of Covid-19 and may have consumed their cash reserves and savings. People who became jobless during the pandemic or faced other unforeseen changes, many have gone to companions, family and the public authority for support and advice on how to recover financially. The numerous business issues presented by COVID-19 are challenging. It is a new bitter experience for most of us and the reaction and way to recuperation for organizations appear to make a greater number of inquiries. The way to building up a Post-COVID-19 monetary arrangement is to make a speedy move through recovery and an inevitable re-visitation of success. Here are a few recommended known strategies to help common people’s well-being to progress financially to face the challenges during the COVID period: Diminish your expenses and overhead costs Start by making a list of all monetary commitments. Attempt to diminish repeating costs like unused memberships and subscriptions. Arrange a lease negotiation with building owner for residence and commercial office space usage. For official undertaking review with the supplier and vendors to increase the bills payable period or request for discounting the bills. Simultaneously, audit your family expenses any possibilities to trim. The less cash you need to draw from your bank, the more money you should put as an investment in recuperation. Set all the assets in working stage – Itemize The operating assets either deplete or diminish the sum available. For instance, excessive holding of inventory to take a chance of bulk or try to apply ‘Just in Time’ to reduce current assets holding and take an offer on strategic benefits. Consider the chance to sell anything at any point required. Better to lease any equipment so that principal capital will be saved from cash dumping. Look for more extensive insight In challenging times, we would all be able to benefit and privilege outside help. Try to find out the sources to acquire guidance about future strategies like –  Obtaining guidance from confided financial and bank advisors, including advocate and auditors.  Speaking to other practice business entity’s proprietors.  Making sure you are consistently getting current update information on our industry, new arrival product and services and especially, what competitors are practising. Invest in an Emergency Fund A forward small percentage of amount from our earnings to invest in emergency fund particularly made for a circumstance scheme like smart save, safe risk-free deposit, fixed and recurring deposits are ideal saving choices. Keep Investing in Gold During a recession, share and securities may fall as organizations make less profit and even dividend too less. But gold will in any case stay as monetary resources and highly liquid assets during inflation and unstabilized occasions. At last, don’t be reliant on projections. All things being equal, plan generally and get ready for the most exceeding inflation stage. The advancing COVID-19 circumstance is complex and the monetary market is presently reflecting vulnerability. By the by, with an all-around oversaw investment portfolio, you will want to overcome the forthcoming economic crises in a better manner. Comprehend debt position The current pandemic situation is not the right time to take more loan or debt and try to close the old unpaid overdraft and arrears to avoid penalty interest. Non-deductible debts are supposed because assets are bought by using such debt options, normally don’t generate any income or earnings and the interest too not taxable like credit cards, automobile loans, personal loans and housing loans and mortgages of a movable and immovable asset. Conclusion The current Covid-19 situation teaches us that uncertainties are part of our lifetime. It is mandatory to store money in our account and keep at least 30% of our total earnings in risk-free deposits from commercial banks. This will secure the timely need of urgency like medical emergency when we are jobless. In a regular year, scheduling and executing a business plan is challenging and complex determination is filed. Hopefully, the strategies and plans will not only initiate to save money but also help us safe and have a happy journey both personally and officially to keep stable in running the rest of our livelihood.  References  https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/206446/financial-planning-post-covid.aspx https://success.ada.org/en/practice-management/dental-practice-success/dps-special-issue-2020/how-to-develop-a-post-covid-19-financial-action-plan https://www.stratusfinancialgroup.com.au/financialplanning/covid-19-recovery-financial-advice-tips/   Dr. Senthil Kumar, is an Associate Professor of Finance and Business Management in Skyline University Nigeria. He has a PhD. in Business Management from Bharathiar University, India. You can join the conversation on Facebook @SkylineUniversityNG and on Twitter @SkylineUNigeria