Linear functions homework

From this information, a linear equation can be written and then predictions can be made from the equation of the line. If the unit or quantity in respect to which something is changing is not specified, usually the rate is per unit of time. The most common type of rate is “per unit of time”, such as speed, heart rate and flux.

Linear functions apply to real world problems that involve a constant rate. If you know a real-world problem is linear, such as the distance you travel when you go for a jog, you can graph the function and make some assumptions with only two points. The slope of a function is the same as the rate of change for the dependent variable (y) ( y).

There are many such applications for linear equations. Anything that involves a constant rate of change can be nicely represented with a line with the slope. Indeed, so long as you have just two points, if you know the function is linear, you can graph it and begin asking questions! Just make sure what you’re asking and graphing makes sense.

With linear regression, a line in slope-intercept form, y = mx+b is found that “best fits” the data. The simplest and perhaps most common linear regression model is the ordinary least squares approximation. This approximation attempts to minimize the sums of the squared distance between the line and every point.