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Chapter 5 - Straight Line Graphs Formulae

This document discusses straight line graphs and formulas. It defines the gradient 'm' of a line and the equation of a line. It also provides formulas to find the distance between two points and relationships between parallel and perpendicular lines. The document notes that directly proportional quantities form straight lines when plotted and discusses when a linear model is appropriate to use based on the shape of plotted data points. It explains that the gradient can indicate a rate of change and the y-intercept an initial or fixed value.

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57 views1 page

Chapter 5 - Straight Line Graphs Formulae

This document discusses straight line graphs and formulas. It defines the gradient 'm' of a line and the equation of a line. It also provides formulas to find the distance between two points and relationships between parallel and perpendicular lines. The document notes that directly proportional quantities form straight lines when plotted and discusses when a linear model is appropriate to use based on the shape of plotted data points. It explains that the gradient can indicate a rate of change and the y-intercept an initial or fixed value.

Uploaded by

jim
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 5 - Straight Line Graphs

Formulae
∆𝑦
The gradient ‘m’ of a straight line joining two points is given by: 𝑚 =
∆𝑥

The equation of a line with gradient ‘m’ that passes through the point with coordinates (x1, y1) is:
𝑦 − 𝑦1 = 𝑚(𝑥 − 𝑥1 )

You can find the distance between two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) using the formula:

𝑑 = √(𝑥2 − 𝑥1 )2 + (𝑦2 − 𝑦1 )2

Relationships between lines

Parallel

Parallel lines have the same gradient

Perpendicular/Normal
1
A line with gradient ‘m’ is perpendicular to another line if it has the gradient −
𝑚

The product of two perpendicular line’s gradients is -1.

Intersections

The point of intersection can be found using simultaneous equations.

Mathematical Modelling:

Quantities in direct proportion increase at the same rate, these quantities form straight lines when
plotted.

Suitability of linear model for dataset

If the data forms a straight line then a linear model is appropriate

If there is a curve to the plotted points then a linear model isn’t appropriate.

Sometimes the linear model is suitable only for a certain domain.

It is always dangerous to extrapolate beyond the range on the model in this way.

Meaning of the gradient

The gradient can indicate:

Rate of change e.g. change in depth of water PER second, daily fee

The cost of 1x (e.g. cost of 1 kWh of electricity), change in y value when x value increases by 1

Meaning of the y-intercept

Initial value or fixed cost e.g. temperature in Fahrenheit when temperature in Celsius is 0.

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