Linear function

A function whose graph is a straight line, usually written f(x) = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept.

Slope: A measure of a line’s steepness and direction, equal to its vertical change divided by its horizontal change. It is the coefficient m, setting the function’s constant rate of change.
Slope-intercept form: The equation form y = mx + b, which displays a line’s slope and y-intercept. It makes the two defining graph parameters explicit.
Linear regression: A statistical method that fits a straight-line relationship to observed data. It estimates a linear trend when real measurements do not lie exactly on a line.
Quadratic function: A function given by a polynomial of degree two, whose graph is a parabola. Its changing slope distinguishes it from a straight-line graph.
Y-intercept: The point where a graph crosses the y-axis. It is b, the output when x equals zero.
Point-slope form: The equation form y − y₁ = m(x − x₁) for a line with slope m through (x₁, y₁). It constructs the same function from a known point and slope.
Interpolation: The estimation of values within the range of known data points. A line through data points supplies estimates between measured inputs.
Exponential function: A function in which the input appears in the exponent, commonly f(x) = aˣ. Its constant multiplicative growth contrasts with a linear function’s constant additive change.
Coordinate plane: A plane whose points are specified by ordered pairs of real numbers. It provides the axes and coordinates used to graph the function.
X-intercept: The point where a graph crosses the x-axis. Solving mx + b = 0 gives the function’s zero when m is nonzero.

Linked from 8 pages