Introduction To Linear Functions
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nooluoitIntroduction To Linear Functions
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nooluoitINTRODUCTION TO LINEAR FUNCTIONS
Lets review some background material to help us work with linear functions.
THE CONCEPT OF SLOPE A linear function is simply the mathematical way of representing a straight line on the xyplane. One important aspect of the line is its steepness or slope, typically denoted m. The slope of a line is defined as the vertical change (the rise) over the horizontal change (the run) as one travels along the line. Therefore the slope of a vertical line does not exist because it does not satisfy the above restriction. In the case of a horizontal line, the slope does exist and has a value of 0.
PARALLEL AND PERPENDICULAR LINES When working with linear equations we will most frequently use the form y = mx + b for the equation of a line, where m is the slope. Sometimes when working with a given line we are also interested in lines which are parallel or perpendicular to the particular line. Two lines are parallel if their slopes are the same (or both are vertical) Two lines are perpendicular if the product of their slopes is m1m2 = 1 (or if one line is vertical while the other is horizontal)
parallel
perpendicular
_______________________________________________________________________ Example: Are y = 4 x + 3 and 3 y 12 x + 9 = 0 parallel lines?
Solution: The slope of the first line is 4. In order to be parallel, both lines must have the same slope. Therefore, we must rearrange the second equation to the form y = mx + b to determine if it has the same slope as the first line. 3 y 12 x + 9 = 0 3 y = 12 x + 9
y = 4x 3 Both lines have the same slope m1 = m2 = 4 , therefore they are parallel lines. _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________ 1 Example: Are the lines y = 3x + 7 and y = x + 4 perpendicular? 3 Solution: 1 m1m2 = 3 3 =1 Since m1m2 1 , therefore the two lines are not perpendicular. _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Example: Given y = 5 x + 2 , find the slope for the perpendicular line.
Solution: We want m1m2 = 1 .
m1m2 = 1 5m2 = 1 1 5 _______________________________________________________________________ m2 =
