Graphing Linear Functions in Slope-Intercept Form
Slope-Intercept Form
One way to express linear function rules is called slope-intercept form.
Sometimes, is used. In either case, and describe the general characteristics of the line. indicates the slope, and indicates the -intercept. The linear function graphed below can be expressed as because it has a slope of and a -intercept at
Graphing a Linear Function in Slope-Intercept Form
To graph a line in slope-intercept form, the slope, and the -intercept, are both needed. Consider the linear function Since the rule is written as it can be seen that To graph the line, plot the -intercept, then use the slope to find another point on the line. Specifically, from move up units and right unit.
Next, draw a line through both points to create the graph of the linear function.
To begin, we can define the quantities that and represent.
- Let represent the number of hours it's been snowing.
- Let represent the number of inches of snow on the ground.
It's been given that there is a -inch layer of snow on the ground before it begins to snow. Thus, when In other words, the -intercept is It is also given that the amount of snow on the ground increases by inch every hour. Thus, the slope of the line is We can write the rule for this function as To graph the function, we can plot a point at then move up unit and right unit to find another point. The line that connects these points is the graph of the function.
The graph above shows the function It can be seen that, at AM, there is a total of inches of snow on the ground.
Describing Key Features of Linear Functions
The graph shows the function Describe the intercepts, increasing/decreasing intervals, and end behavior. Then, show the features on the graph.
To begin, we'll describe each of the features. A graph's - and -intercepts are the points where the graph intersects the - and -axes, respectively. It can be seen that intersects the -axis at and the -axis at Thus,
Since is a linear function, it has a constant rate of change. This means the line will always be increasing or always decreasing. Looking from left to right on the graph, it can be seen that, as increases, decreases infinitely. Thus,
Since always decreases, we can say is negative. Notice that this corresponds with 's negative slope.
Looking at the graph, we can see that the left end extends upward and the right end extends downward. Thus, the end behavior of can be written as follows.
Lastly, we'll label the features on the graph.
Solving Linear Equations Graphically
The function is comprised of all the points that satisfy its function rule. For example, some of the points that lie on the line are
All of the - pairs that satisfy an equation are the points on the corresponding graph. Thus, the solution(s) to an equation can be found using a graph.Use the graph of to solve the equation
The given graph shows all of the - pairs that satisfy Let's begin by comparing the function rule with the equation. Since the right-hand side of both the function rule and the equation are the same, it follows then that Thus, solving the equation means finding the -coordinate of the point on the graph of whose -coordinate is We'll find this point by first locating the point on the graph where
We can move down from this point on the graph to find the -coordinate.
