Graphing & Slopes

Straight Line Equation

The equation of a straight line is usually written this way: y = mx + b

What does it stand for?

Slope (or Gradient)

Y nter!ept

y = how far up x = how far along m = Slope or Gradient (how steep the line is) b = the Y nter!ept (where the line !rosses the Y axis)

How do you find "m" and "b"?

b is easy: "ust see where the line !rosses the Y axis# m (the Slope) needs some !al!ulation:

$hange in Y m = $hange in %

nowing this we !an wor" out the equation of a straight line#

Example $

& m = ' b = ' (where the line crosses the Y-Axis) Therefore y = &x + ' (ith that equation you !an now ### ### !hoose any )alue for x and find the mat!hing )alue for y *or example+ when x is ': y = &,$ + ' = $he!. for yourself that x=' and y=- is a!tually on the line# /r we !ould !hoose another )alue for x+ su!h as 0: y = &,% + ' = '1 2nd so when x=0 you will ha)e y='1 = &

Example &

m = 3' b=5 This gi)es us y ' ()x * + (e do not need the 6ero7 Therefore y = 4-x = 4-

Example )# ,erti!al Line

(hat is the equation for a )erti!al line8 The slope is undefined ### and where does it !ross the Y32xis8 n fa!t+ this is a spe!ial !ase+ and you use a different equation+ not 9y=###9+ but instead you use 9x=###9# :i.e this: x = '#1

;)ery point on the line has x !oordinate $-.+ that<s why its equation is x ' $-.

/he slope of the !ur0e

Consider the function y = 1/3 x2 - 4 which is graphed on the right. This function is a curve, commonly called a parabola. Does it make sense to talk about the slope of a curve like this, when clearly it gets steeper and steeper the further you get from the center? The slope is changing, point by point, and getting bigger! In fact, you can describe the slope of this curve, if you are willing to work out the slope at some particular point on the curve. In this e ercise, we will show you how to determine the steepness !slope" of the curve at the point !#, $%", shown here by the red dot.

The slope of the curve at !#, $%" is e actly the same as the slope of the line at !#, $%". This line touches the curve only at !#, $%" and nowhere else& it is the tangent to the curve at !#, $%". If we knew the slope of this line, we would know the slope of the curve at that point. 'nfortunately, the point !#, $%" is the only point we know on this line, and we can(t determine slope from )ust one point& we need two. *ut if there was some way to figure out the slope of that line, we would then have the slope of the curve at !#, $%". +hat we(re going to do is show you how to determine the slope of that line ... in a rather round$about way! The method we(re going to use is as follows. +e(re going to find the slope of some lines between points on the curve, ... lines that get closer and closer to the line we want. *y looking at what the values for the slopes of these lines seem to be approaching, we(ll be able to guess the slope of the tangent line at !#, $%".

,et(s begin by finding another point on the curve. -t . -1, the corresponding y value is -3.7 !from the e/uation of the curve". 0oin this point to the point !#, $%" to make a line. This line cuts through the curve in two places, and is called a secant. +e can work out its slope, because we know two points on this line, the points1 !#, $%" and !$%, $#.2"

3ere is the slope calculation1

The slope of this se!ant to the !ur)e is about +-12 That=s not the line we=re interested in+ but at least we .now the slope of that tangent will be bigger than 5#>? @ow lets mo)e !loser to (-+ 3') and try again#

Ao)ing to the right+ another point on the !ur)e is the point (5+ 3B) Coin this point to (-+ 3') and ma.e a new se!ant# This line is getting a little !loser to the line we wantD we !an find its slope li.e we did for the pre)ious se!antD using the points (5+ 3B) and (-+ 3')+ the slope wor.s out to be $ $learly the se!ants are getting steeper# :et=s do it again ###

4ow we(re at the point !%, $#.2", again obtained from the table of values for the e/uation of the curve. Drawing the secant and working out its slope gives the value 1.35

This se!ant is e)en steeper# Eut we=re not there yet ### lets find a point e)en !loser to (-+ 3')

'sing the point !5, $5.2" and the point !#, $%", the secant this time is steeper still& in fact, its slope turns out to be 1.7

$an you see where we=re heading8 The aim is to find the slopes of se!ants that are getting !loser and !loser to the tangent at (-+ 3')# :et=s do another one ###

This time we(ve moved very close to !#, $%" +e(re at the point !5.6, $%.7" This secant has slope 1.8

This is )ery !lose to the slope of the tangent right at the point (-+ 3')# :et=s try one more !loser point ###

'sing the point !5.8, $%.#7", which is right ne t to our point !#, $%", we get a secant line with slope

1. 5
This should be almost identi!al to the slope of the tangent exa!tly at (-+ 3') (e !ould try !loser points+ but you should be able to guess what the slope of the tangent at (-+ 3') will be ### Fere are the slopes of the se!ants we=)e found so far+ as we got !loser and !loser to the tangent line: +-123 $3 $-).3 $-%3 $-23 $-4. --t loo.s )ery mu!h li.e the slopes are getting !loser and !loser to & (e !ould be sure of this by doing the same exer!ise all o)er again+ from the other side of (-+ 3')# f we did+ we=d find that the slopes got smaller and smaller as our se!ant lines got !loser and !loser to the tangentD the slopes would again seem to approa!h the )alue

&

!"#!$%&'"#(

Ey finding the slopes of se!ants+ as the se!ants were drawn from points !loser and !loser to 5)3 6$7+ it was determined that the slope of the tangent at (-+ 3')+ or the slope of the !ur0e at 5)3 6$73 was & This is the =method of se!ants= for finding the slope of a !ur)e at a point+ and it wor.s for any !ur)e# You might want to )isit our =Geri)ati)e of a Holynomial *un!tion= page that introdu!es !al!ulus+ and a qui!.er method to find the slope at a point#