Functions Unit Test

6 of 156 of 15 Items

Question
Use the image to answer the question.
An illustration of a coordinate plane with four quadrants shows the x and y axes extending from negative 5 to 5 in increments of 1. A downward slanting line is plotted on the coordinate plane. The downward slanting line with arrows on both ends passes through the following closed points: left parenthesis negative 3 comma 4 right parenthesis, left parenthesis 0 comma 3 right parenthesis, left parenthesis 3 comma 2 right parenthesis, and left parenthesis 6 comma 1 right parenthesis.

Determine the initial value and the rate of change of the linear function as given in the graph. Round the answer to three decimal places as needed.

(1 point)
The initial value is
, and the rate of change is
.

1 answer

To analyze the linear function represented in the graph, we need to determine the initial value (which typically corresponds to the y-intercept) and the rate of change (which corresponds to the slope of the line).

  1. Finding the Initial Value (y-intercept): The initial value (y-intercept) is the value of y when x = 0. According to the points given, when \( x = 0 \), \( y = 3 \). So the initial value is: \[ \text{Initial Value} = 3 \]

  2. Finding the Rate of Change (slope): The slope (rate of change) of a linear function can be calculated using the formula: \[ \text{slope} = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1} \] We can use any two points on the line to calculate the slope. Let's use the points \( (-3, 4) \) and \( (0, 3) \).

    \[ y_2 = 3, \quad y_1 = 4, \quad x_2 = 0, \quad x_1 = -3 \] \[ \text{slope} = \frac{3 - 4}{0 - (-3)} = \frac{-1}{3} = -\frac{1}{3} \]

Thus, we find:

  • The initial value (y-intercept) is \( 3 \).
  • The rate of change (slope) is \( -\frac{1}{3} \) or approximately \( -0.333 \) when rounded to three decimal places.

The final answers are:

  • The initial value is 3, and the rate of change is -0.333.