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Equations of Graphs PDF

The document discusses equations for straight lines on different types of graph paper, including linear equations for arithmetic graph paper, power functions for logarithmic graph paper which plot as straight lines after taking the logarithm of both sides of the equation, and exponential functions for semi-logarithmic graph paper which also plot as straight lines after taking the logarithm of y. It provides the equations and explains how to determine the slope and y-intercept from a line on each type of graph paper in order to write the equation of the line.

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Checks Joseph
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
97 views4 pages

Equations of Graphs PDF

The document discusses equations for straight lines on different types of graph paper, including linear equations for arithmetic graph paper, power functions for logarithmic graph paper which plot as straight lines after taking the logarithm of both sides of the equation, and exponential functions for semi-logarithmic graph paper which also plot as straight lines after taking the logarithm of y. It provides the equations and explains how to determine the slope and y-intercept from a line on each type of graph paper in order to write the equation of the line.

Uploaded by

Checks Joseph
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1

E QUATIONS OF S TRAIGHT L INES ON V ARIOUS G RAPH P APERS

S TRAIGHT L INE ON A RITHMETIC G RAPH P APER (L INEAR FUNCTION )


EQUATION: y = mx + b
y 150
m = slope of line = x (30,125)
b = y-intercept: value of y where the line
crosses the x-axis, i.e., value of y 100
when x =0 5
+
Y 4X y
The equation of this line is readily gotten
from the plot. As shown in the graph to the =
50 Y
right, find two points on the line (x1 ,y 1 )
and (x2,y2) where you can easily determine (0,5)
the values of x and y. x
Then 0
x = x2 x1 0 10 20 30
y = y2 y1 X
Calculate
y x = x2 x1 = 30 0 = 30
m = x
Read b directly from the graph. It's the y = y2 y1 = 125 5 = 120
value of y where the line crosses the x-axis.
y 120
m= = =4
x 30
b = y-intercept (at x = 0) = 5
2
BRIEF REVIEW OF LOGARITHMS:
If you have forgotten about logarithms, here is a short refresher:
if A = 10c then log10 A = c
that is, the logarithm (to the base 10) of a number is the power to which you must raise 10 to equal that
number.
for example: 100 = 102 so log 100 = 2

The antilog (log-1) of a number is 10 raised to that power.


for example: log-1(3) = 103 =1000

S TRAIGHT L INE ON L OGARITHMIC G RAPH P APER (P OWER FUNCTION )


EQUATION: y = kxm
or
log y = m log x + log k
On logarithmic graph paper:
(log y)
m = slope of line = (log x)
k = value of y where line crosses the x = 1 axis
Power functions have the form y = kxm , 120
where m is any positive or negative constant.
If a power function is plotted on arithmetic
graph paper, the result is a curved line; that 100
0.67
is, the the relationship between x and y is not Y = 2.5 X
linear (see graph to right). It is difficult to 80
determine the equation of the line from such a
plot. Y
60
If however, we take the logarithms of both
sides of the equation, we get : 40
log y = m log x + log k
Note that this is the equation of a straight 20
line! That is, the logarithms of x and y have
a linear relationship. If we wanted to, we 0
could take the logs of all our data points, plot
them on arithmetic graph paper, fit a straight 0 50 100 150 200 250
line, and determine m and a just as we did X
before. In this case the y-intercept a = log k,
so k = 10a.

An easier method, described on the next


page, is to use logarithmic graph paper.
3
(270, 100)
100
Logarithmic graph paper has both X and Y
axes calibrated in log cycles. When you plot 76
6
a number on one of the axes, you are actually 0.
positioning it according to its logarithm.(i.e., X log Y
the paper takes the log for you; the numbers 2.5
on the paper are antilogs.) The logarithms =
Y 10 Y
themselves are not shown, but are spaced log X
arithmetically along the axes. For example,
log 1 = 0; log 10 =1; log 100 =2; in the graph (9, 10)
at right, note that there is the same distance 2.5
between 1 and 10 as there is between 10 and
100. Note that you can never have 0 on a log 1
axis because log 0 doesn't exist. 1 10 100 1000
Power functions plot as straight lines on X
logarithmic graph paper. The slope of the log Y = 24 mm log Y
line (m) gives the exponent in the equation, m= = 0.676
log X = 35.5 mm log X
while the value of y where the line crosses
the x =1 axis gives us k. alternatively:
If the log cycles in both x and y directions are
the same size (this is usually, but not always log Y = log y log y = log 100 log 10
2 1
the case), the easiest way to determine the = (2 1) = 1
slope is to extend the line so it crosses one log X = log x 2 log x 1 = log 270 log 9
complete log cycle (i.e., one power of 10).
Then simply measure with a ruler the distance = (2.43 0.95 ) = 1.48
between these crossing-points in both X and
log Y 1
Y directions, and divide y by x (see m= = = 0.675
example at right.) To do this properly, you log X 1.48
will need a ruler with fairly fine calibrations,
such as mm or twentieths of an inch. y-intercept (at x =1) = 2.5
Alternatively, you can:
a) find two points (x1,y1) and (x2,y2) on the
line where you can easily determine the
values of x and y;
b) take the logs of these numbers and
compute log y and log x;
c) divide log y by log x to get m.
This approach is also shown in the graph at
right.
You must use this second technique if the log
cycles are not the same width on both axes.
4
S TRAIGHT L INE ON S EMI -L OGARITHMIC G RAPH P APER (E XPONENTIAL FUNCTION )
EQUATION: y = k 10mx (or y = kemx note that e2.303 = 10)
or
log y = mx + log k (or ln y = mx + ln k)

On semi-logarithmic graph paper:


(log y)
m = slope of line = x
k = y-intercept: value of y where line crosses the x = 0 axis
Exponential functions have the form y = k 10mx, 160
or y = kemx where m is any positive or negative
constant. If an exponential function is plotted on 140
arithmetic graph paper, the result is a curved line; 120
that is, the the relationship between x and y is not
linear (see graph to right). It is difficult to 100 0.25X
determine the equation of the line from such a Y 80 Y = 1.5 (10)
plot.
60
If however, we take the logarithms of both sides 40
of the equation, we get :
20
log y = mx + log k
Note that this is the equation of a straight line! 0
That is, x and the logarithms of y have a linear 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
relationship. X

(7.5, 100)
Exponential functions plot on semilog
paper as straight lines. Semi-log paper
has one arithmetic and one logarithmic X
axis. The slope of the line (m) gives 100 2 5
0.
the exponential constant in the equation,
0)
while the value of y where the line (1
crosses the x = 0 axis gives us k. (3.5, 10) 1 .5 log Y
=
To determine the slope of the line: Y
a) extend the line so it crosses one Y 10 X
complete log cycle (i.e., one power
of 10)
b) find the points (x1,y1) and (x2,y2)
on the line where it crosses the top 1.5
and bottom of a log cycle. (log y)
will thus = 1. 1
c) determine x as x2-x1, where x2 is 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
the x-value corresponding to the top X
of the log cycle
d) divide x into 1 to get m. log y = log 100 = 2 x = 7.5
2 2
This procedure is shown in the graph at log y = log 10 = 1 x = 3.5
right. 1 1
log y 1
m= = = 0.25
x 4
k = y-intercept (at x =0) = 1.5

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