GRAPHING EQUATIONS

 

GOALS

1.   describe and graph directions using wind directions and angles

2.   understand and graph horizontal and vertical lines and their equations

3.   use inequalities to describe regions restricted by horizontal and vertical lines

4.   find and use equations of the form y = i + sx using the slope and y-intercept

5.   graph equations of the form y = i + sx

6.   solve equations of the form a + bx = c + dx

7.   understand the meaning of slope in different contexts

8.   understand how to find the intersection point of two lines, algebraically and graphically

9.   understand the graph of a line in the coordinate plane

10.  model a problem situation and translate it to a graph or an equation

11.  choose an appropriate way to solve equations

12.  understand the similarities between graphic and algebraic strategies

 

SECTION SUMMARIES

 

SECTION A:  WHERE’S THERE’S SMOKE…

1.        One way to indicate a direction from a point on a map is to indicate one of the eight

directions found on a compass rose:  N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW.

2.       Another way is to use degree measurements; beginning with 0° for north, and measuring clockwise up to 360°.

 

SECTION B:  COORDINATES ON A SCREEN

      1.   In a coordinate system, the horizontal axis is the x-axis, the vertical axis is the y-axis,

and these two axes intersect at the point (0,0), called the origin.

2.       The location of a point is given by the x- and y- coordinates in an ordered pair (x,y).

3.       When points are on a vertical line, the x-coordinate does not change and can be described by equations such as x = 1, x = 8, and x = -3 .

4.       When points are on a horizontal line, the y-coordinate does not change and can be described by equations such as y = -5, y = 0, and y = 3.

5.       Inequalities can be used to describe a region.  For example, 1 < x < 3  and –2 < y < 3  describes a 2 by 5 rectangular region.

 

SECTION C:  DIRECTIONS AS PAIRS OF NUMBERS

1.       A directional pair such as [+3,+2] or [+1,-1] can indicate a direction from a point.

The first number is the horizontal component, and the second is the vertical component.

2.        All direction pairs in the same and opposite direction have the same ratio.

3.        The slope of a line is given by the ratio,    vertical component / horizontal component  .

 

SECTION D:  AN EQUATION OF A LINE

      1.   The equation of a line that is not vertical has the form:   y = i + sx,  where i stands for the

y-intercept and s is the slope of the line.

2.       Another way to describe the slope is to use the tangent ratio: 

slope = tan a = vertical component / horizontal component

 

SECTION E:  SOLVING EQUATIONS

1.       You can solve equations of the form a + bx = c + dx by drawing diagrams, by using

number lines, and by performing an operation (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and/or dividing) on each side of the equation.

 

SECTION F:  INTERSECTING LINES

1.         You can find the intersection point of two lines (for instance, y = - 3 - 2x and y = 1+3x) by setting the lines

 equal to one another and solving the equation –3 – 2x = 1 + 3x  .