STRAIGHT LINE GRAPHS

Consider the simple formula y = 2x + 1 which basically says that for every value of x there corresponds a unique value of y. E.g. if x = 1, then y = 2 1 + 1 which equals 3. We can repeat this for as many values of x as we see fit: x = 1, x = 2, x = 3, x = 4, etc. y=3 y=5 y=7 y=9

Rather than continuing to produce a massive list of paired x, y values, why not plot them on a graph instead? This way we can visualise the relationship between x and y instead of having to stare at a meaningless list of numbers. So, for the formula y = 2x + 1 we plot the points (1, 3), (2, 5), (3, 7) etc. across 1, up 3 y y = 2x + 1
11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 -3 -2 -1 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5
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NOTES:

i) ii)

Do not forget to label the axes and the graph itself. A silly mark to lose in the exam otherwise. Do not stop your line prematurely. Draw the line right through the page and onto the sleeve of your shirt if need be !

Example 1. Plot, and label, the following lines on the same set of axes. i) x = 6, ii) y = x + 2, iii) x + y = 7, iv) y = 2x 1. Solution. The graphs are shown below. We give a few notes on each. a) With the formula x = 6 we simply seek all those points whose x co-ordinate is 6. E.g. (6, 0), (6, 1), (6, 2) etc. Given y = x + 2 we construct a simple table of values. x y=x+2 0 2 1 3 y=0+2 We now plot the points (0, 2), (1, 3), (2, 4) etc. NOTE that where possible we avoid the more complicated negative x co-ordinates in our working. c) With x + y = 7 we are simply searching for all those pairs of numbers which add up to 7. E.g. x = 0, y = 7 or x = 1, y = 6 or x = 2, y = 5 etc. We thus plot the points (0, 7), (1, 6), (2, 5) etc. Given y = 2x 1 we construct a table of values. 0 1 y=20 1 1 2 3 3 5 2 4 y=1+2 3 5

b)

d)

x y = 2x

y= 21

We now plot the points (0, 1), (1, 1), (2, 3) etc.

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x=6 y x+y=7
1 2 1 1 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 -4 -3 -2 -1 -1 -2 -3 -4 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

y = 2x

y=x+2

Our final examples on straight lines involve some quite awkward formulas which are as likely to appear in the non-calculator paper than not.

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Example 2. Taking x from 3 to + 5, plot, and label, the following lines on the same set of axes. a) y + 2x = 8, b) 2y + 3x = 12, c) x y = 4.

Solution. The graphs are shown below. We give a few notes on each. a) With this formula you might like to rearrange first. We have Subtract 2x from both sides to get Now draw up a table of values. x y = 8 2x 0 8 1 6 2 4 3 2 21=8 y + 2x = 8 y = 8 2x

We thus plot the points (0, 8), (1, 6), (2, 4) etc.

y=8

2=6

b)

It is difficult to avoid fractions in our working with this one. We have Subtract 3x from both sides to get Divide both sides by 2 to get Now draw up a table of values. x y=6 1.5x 0 6 1 4.5 2 3 3 1.5 4 0 2y + 3x = 12. 2y = 12 3x y = 6 3 x or 6 2

1.5x.

We thus plot (0, 6), (2, 3) and (4, 0), carefully avoiding the fractional co-ordinates. c) x y = 4. In attempting to rearrange this formula into the form y = , too many students will unfortunately make a bit of a hash of things ! There are too many negatives. Okay, let us take a more direct approach. All we require are a few pairs of values x and y such that x y = 4. Consider x = 0, y = 4. It is pretty clear that, in this case, x the point (0, 4). For a second point, what about x = 1, y = 5. In this case x Hence we plot the point (1, 5). y = 4 and we thus plot y=1 5 = 4.

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y + 2x = 8

y 14
13 12

2y + 3x = 12

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 -3 -2 -1 -1 -2 0 1 2 3 4

y= 4

x
5

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Exercise 1. 1.

NO CALCULATORS.

Using axes: x from 1 to +5, y from 4 to +20, plot the following lines on the same axes: a) d) y = 3x, y = 3x 1. b) y = 3x + 2, c) y = 3x + 4,

2.

Using axes: x from 3 to +6, y from 9 to +9, plot the following lines on the same axes: a) d) x + y = 6, x + y = 3. b) x + y = 3, c) x + y = 0,

3.

Using axes: x from 4 to +8, y from 12 to +12, plot the following lines on the same axes: a) d) y = 8 x, y = 4 x. b) y=4 x, c) y = x,

4.

Using axes: x from 0 to +4, y from 8 to +8, plot the following lines on the same axes: a) y=8 x, b) y=8 2x, c) y=8 4x.

5.

Taking x from 3 to + 5, plot, and label, the following lines on the same set of axes. a) y + 2x = 10, b) 2y 3x = 4, c) x y = 2.

Answers. Instead of drawing these graphs for the reader to check, we provide a link to what is an excellent graph drawing program. The program is a doddle to download, install and use. CLICK THE LINK TO DOWNLOAD: GRAPHMATICA {http://www8.pair.com/ksoft/}

To check one of your graphs simply type in the formula and press Enter. After this, why not spend some time experimenting with different graphs ?

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