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Tishk International University

Architecture Department
First Grade
Fall semester 2024-2025

Non-Linear Function

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Non-Linear Functions

❖ A function or equation having a degree greater than 1 with dependent and independent variable(s) will
be called a nonlinear function.
❖ Such functions, when plotted, do not form a straight line. Alternatively, if any function is not linear,
then it will certainly be a nonlinear function. Nonlinear equations are generally written as:

❖ A nonlinear function is a function whose graph is NOT a straight line. Its graph can be any curve
other than a straight line. For example, if there are 100 fishes in a pond initially and they become
double every week, then this situation can be modeled by the function f(x) = 100 (2)x, where x is the
number of weeks and f(x) is the number of fishes. Let us make a table and graph this function making
use of the table.

f(x) = 100 (2)x

❖ The shown graph is NOT a line and hence it represents a

nonlinear function. From the graph, we can say that
the slope is not uniform on a nonlinear function. A nonlinear
function can be described using a table of values, an equation,
or a graph. Let us see each of them now. Some of the
examples of nonlinear functions include quadratic
functions, cubic functions, polynomial functions.

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The steps to determine whether a table of values determine a linear function are:
1.Find the differences between every two consecutive x values.
2.Find the differences between every two consecutive y values.
3.Find the corresponding ratios of differences of y and differences of x.
4.If all the ratios are NOT same, then only the function is linear.
Consider the following table of values.
• Let us determine whether this table denotes a nonlinear function by
using the steps mentioned above.
x y

3 15 • Since all the ratios of

differences of y to the
5 23
differences of x are NOT
9 33 same, the function is a
nonlinear function.
11 41

13 43

➢ Some examples of nonlinear functions are:

•f(x) = x2 is nonlinear as it is a quadratic function.

•f(x) = 2x is nonlinear as it is an exponential function.
•f(x) = x3 - 3x is nonlinear as it is a cubic function.

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Example -1-

Plot the graph for the nonlinear function

Solution:
We will solve the nonlinear function at x=1,2,3,4 and 5

Let us form the table so we can easily plot our ordered pairs.

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Example -2-

Plot the graph for the nonlinear function

Solution:
As “y” is equal to the absolute of “x,” “y” cannot be negative. Hence, we will have a bell-shaped
graph. The value of “y” will be the same for every value of x.

We will have a “V”

shaped graph, but as it is
not a straight line, it is a
nonlinear graph.

Example -3-

Tell whether the graph is linear or nonlinear.

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Example -4-

Tell whether the graph is linear or nonlinear.

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Example -5-
Tell whether the function in the table has a linear or nonlinear relationship.
A.

Solution:

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Tell whether the function in the table has a linear or nonlinear relationship.
B.

Solution:

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Tell whether the function in the table has a linear or nonlinear relationship.
C.

Solution:

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Example -6-

Determine whether each table represents a linear or nonlinear function.

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Example -7-

Determine whether each equation represents a linear or nonlinear function.

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Example -8-

Determine whether each equation represents a linear or nonlinear function. Remember that all linear
functions can be written in the slope-intercept form.

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Example -9-

The following table shows the bank balances of Joe and Mitchell for the last 55 years.
Graph the data and check if there has been any constant growth for both.

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Solution:

We will plot the points for both Joe and Mitchell.

• Joe's points are displayed on a straight line, while Mitchell's points are on a curved line, both with positive slopes.
• It is evident that Joe's graph maintains a constant growth rate with a consistent rate of change of $100, while
Mitchell's graph portrays an inconsistent growth pattern with a curve.
• These observations indicate that Joe's growth rate has been constant over the past five years.

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References

• Thomas-Calculus-14th-Edition
• Internet sources

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