One context in which symmetric polynomial functions occur is in the study of monic univariate polynomials of degree "n" having "n" roots in a given field. These "n" roots determine the polynomial, and when they are considered as independent variables, the coefficients of the polynomial are symmetric polynomial functions of the roots. Moreover the fundamental theorem of symmetric polynomials implies that a polynomial function "f" of the "n" roots can be expressed as (another) polynomial function of the coefficients of the polynomial determined by the roots if and only if "f" is given by a symmetric polynomial.