1
Prep Work for Section 1.2: Functions as Mathematical Models
Linear Functions
To review and explore slopes and equations of lines, go to
http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/SlopeSlider/.
The black button moves you to dierent points along the line, the blue botton changes
the slope, and the green button changes the
y -intercept (NOTE: The buttons are listed
in the order they appear in case your browser shows them dierently or my colorblindness manifests at this site!). Also click the Show Tabular Data to list points on
the line with integer coordinates. In particular, notice how the
when you change the Step
(∆x).
Recall: The slope of a line is given by
The equation of a line is given by
where
and
m=
y=
m=
b=
1
y -values
change
(∆y)