Learning Resources

Outcomes

In this lesson you will

• Explore the relationship between the slope of a line and the rate of change in the variable described by that line.
• Examine the relationship between the shape of a non-linear graph and whether the rate of change is increasing or decreasing.

By the end of this section you should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of rate of change in a variety of situations.
• Demonstrate an understanding that slope depicts rate of change.
• Calculate average rates of change.
• Describe and apply rates of change by analyzing graphs, equations, and descriptions of linear and quadratic functions.

Prerequisites

To be successful in this lesson, it would be helpful to know the following:

• How to find the average (mean) of a set of data.
• The concept of average speed as distance/time.
• How to calculate the slope of a line.