TALKING ABOUT CHANGE

BIG IDEAS:
• In a relationship between two variables, the values of the dependent variable
are affected by the values of the independent variable
• A rate of change compares the change in one variable to another variable
• A positive rate of change corresponds to an increasing value

LEARNING GOALS AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT:

You know you have met the goals for this lesson when you can:

ANCHOR SKILL BUILDING

LEARNING GOALS
QUESTIONS QUESTIONS
Identify independent and dependent variables in a graph or
1g, 2e, 3d 1 2 3 4
table of values and explain their relationship
EMERGING

Interpret information from a table of values or graph 1, 2 5 7 10 11

Explain the meaning of rate of change and describe a rate of 13

change as constant, increasing or decreasing, positive, 7, 10, 13
negative or zero

ANCHOR SKILL BUILDING

LEARNING GOALS
QUESTIONS QUESTIONS
Explain how the appearance of the steepness of a line on a
12 6 8 9 12
graph can be affected by the scales on the x-axis and y-axis
EVOLVING

Interpret information about rate of change from a statement,

14e-g 14a-g
table of values or graph

ANCHOR SKILL BUILDING

LEARNING GOALS
QUESTIONS QUESTIONS
Determine rate of change 14h-j, 16 14h-j 15 16
EXTENDING

Talking About Change

BUILD YOUR SKILLS
1. The graph on the right shows Greta’s distance from home, in
metres, for the first 10 minutes of her evening walk.

a) Is Greta moving toward home or away from

home? Explain.
b) How far from home is Greta after 6 minutes?
c) Is Greta increasing her speed, reducing her
speed, or maintaining a constant speed? Explain.
d) What unit would be used to describe rate of
change here?
e) Is the rate of change positive or negative?
Explain.
f) How would the graph look different if Greta was
moving in the opposite direction?
g) What are the independent and dependent
variables in this relationship?

2. The graph on the right shows the amount of liquid in a 2 L container.

a) Describe how the amount of liquid in the

container is changing.
b) How long does it take to fill the container?
c) What unit would be used to describe rate of
change here?
d) Describe what happens to the rate of change of
liquid in the container when the time value is 10
seconds and suggest a possible reason for what
happens there.
e) What are the independent and dependent
variables in this relationship?

Talking About Change

3. The table on the right shows the number of new COVID-19
Number of
cases in Ontario over five consecutive days in August 2021. Day
New Cases
a) Describe how the number of new cases changed over the 1 486
five days. 2 660
3 678
b) Was the rate of change positive or negative? Explain. 4 781
c) Was the rate of change of new cases constant? Explain. 5 835

d) What are the independent and dependent variables in

this relationship?

4. The graph on the right shows how outside air

temperature is affected by altitude (height).

a) Describe how the air temperature changes

with respect to altitude.
b) Is the rate of change of temperature positive
or negative? Explain.
c) Is the rate of change in this example
constant? Explain.
d) Identify the dependent variable and the
independent variable in this relationship.

5. The graph on the right shows the population of a

small town over time.

a) Describe how the population is changing

over time.
b) Is the rate of change of population positive
or negative?
c) Is the rate of change in this example
constant? Explain.
d) Identify the dependent variable and the
independent variable in this relationship.
e) Why do you think a dashed curve was used
here instead of a solid curve?

Talking About Change

6. Suggest a quick way to determine whether the relationship shown in a graph has a positive rate of
change, a negative rate of change, or a rate of change of zero.

7. For each of the following graphs, state whether the rate of change is positive, negative or zero.

a) b) c) d)

8. Mahdi plans to purchase a new PlayStation 5 video game system. He decides that he’ll put away $20
every week until he has enough to purchase the console. Each week, Mahdi records the total amount
saved. The two variables in the resulting relationship are the number of weeks passed and the total
amount of money saved.

a) Does the total amount saved have a positive rate of change or a negative rate of change?
Explain.
b) Is the rate of change in this example constant? Explain.
c) Identify which variable is the dependent variable and which is the independent variable.

9. The graph below describes the height of a ball after it is thrown straight up into the air.

a) Over what time interval is the ball’s height

increasing? Decreasing?
b) What unit would be used to describe rate of
change here?
c) Over what time interval is the rate of change of
height positive? Negative? Explain?
d) As the ball gets higher, what happens to the rate
of change of height? Why?
e) What is the ball’s rate of change at 1.5 seconds?
f) What are the independent and dependent
variables in this relationship?

Talking About Change

10. State which of the following graphs display a constant rate of change.

a) b) c) d)

11. Order the following from least rate of change to greatest rate of change.

a) b) c)

12. Layal claimed that when comparing constant rates of change in graphs, all that needs to be
considered is the steepness of the lines. Is Layal’s claim correct? Explain.

13. For each relation, state whether the rate of change is constant, increasing or decreasing

a) b) c) d)

e) f) g) h)

Talking About Change

14. The graph below shows Pietro’s distance from school, d, during lunch.

a) During what time interval(s) was Pietro moving away from the school?
b) During what time interval(s) was Pietro moving toward the school?
c) What is the farthest distance that Pietro was from school during lunch?
d) The school’s lunch period occurs from 11:30 to 12:30. If Pietro left the school immediately
at the beginning of the lunch period, how late was he when he returned to the school?
e) During what time interval(s) was Pietro not moving?
f) During what time interval(s) was Pietro moving slowest (but not stopped)?
g) During what time interval(s) was Pietro moving fastest?
h) Determine Pietro’s speed, in km/min, during the first 20 minutes.
i) Determine Pietro’s speed, in km/h, from 25 minutes to 40 minutes.
j) Determine Pietro’s speed, in m/s, during the final 3 minutes of his journey back to school.

15. If we were interested in how the area of a circle changes as its radius
changes, what units might be used to describe the rate of change?

16. Find the constant rate of change for each of the following distance-time relationships. Be sure to
include correct units in your answers.

a) b) c)
Time (s) Distance (m)
0 850
10 820
20 790
30 760
40 730

Talking About Change

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
1. a) Greta is moving away from home, as her distance from home is increasing over time.
b) 540 m
c) Greta is maintaining a constant speed, since she always travels the same distance for any fixed
amount of time.
d) metres per minute (m/min)
e) Positive, since the distance is increasing over time.
f) The line would slant downward from left to right.
g) The independent variable is time and the dependent variable is distance.

2. a) The amount of liquid in the container is increasing over time.

b) 17 seconds
c) litres per seconds (L/s)

ANSWERS
d) The rate of change increases (the container begins filling more quickly), possibly because the
liquid starts flowing more rapidly from the source.
e) The independent variable is time and the dependent variable is volume.

3. a) The number of new cases increased over the five days.

b) Positive, since the number of new cases was always increasing.
c) No, since the numbers of cases did not increase by the same amount each day.
d) The independent variable is the number of days and the dependent variable is the number of
new cases.

4. a) The air temperature decreases as altitude increases.

b) Negative, since temperature decreases as altitude increases.
c) Yes, since the temperature always changes by the same amount for any fixed change in
altitude.
d) Temperature is the dependent variable and altitude is the independent variable.

5. a) The population is increasing over time.

b) Positive.
c) No, since the population increases by a greater amount each year.
d) The dependent variable is population and the independent variable is time.
e) A dashed curve was used to illustrate that the population is not increasing continuously.

Talking About Change

 6. If the graph increases from left to right, the rate of change is positive. If the graph decreases
from left to right, the rate of change is negative. If the graph is a horizontal line, the rate of
change is zero.

7. a) positive b) zero c) negative d) positive

8. a) Positive rate of change, since the total amount saved is increasing over time.
b) Yes, since the total amount saved is increasing by the same value ($20) each week.
c) The total amount saved is the dependent variable and the number of weeks is the independent
variable.

9. a) Increasing between 0 seconds and 1.5 seconds. Decreasing between 1.5 seconds and 3
seconds.
b) metres per second (m/s)
c) The rate of change of height is positive between 0 seconds and 1.5 seconds, since the height is
increasing over that interval. The rate of change of height is negative between 1.5 seconds and
3 seconds, as the height is decreasing during that interval.

ANSWERS
ANSWERS

d) As the ball gets higher, the rate of change of height decreases, since the ball slows down due
to gravity.
e) 0 m/s
f) The independent variable is time and the dependent variable is height.

10. a and d

11. b, a, c

12. Layal’s claim is not entirely correct. The scales used on the axes must also be considered, as
changing the scales can affect how steep a line appears.

13. a) constant b) increasing c) constant d) decreasing e) constant f) constant

g) decreasing h) increasing

14. a) During the first 20 minutes, as well as between 25 minutes and 40 minutes.
b) Between 55 minutes and 65 minutes. c) 1.5 km d) 5 minutes
e) Between 20 minutes and 25 minutes, as well as between 40 minutes and 55 minutes.
f) During the first 20 minutes. g) Between 55 minutes and 65 minutes.

h) 0.025 km/min i) 4 km/h j) 2.5 m/s

15. Answers may vary. For example, cm2/cm.

16. a) 2 m/s b) 0.5 km/h c) −3 m/s

Talking About Change