Slope of the Line Passing Through Two Points

The slope of a line is a number that indicates the rate at which the value of the y-coordinate
changes with respect to the x-coordinate. Loosely speaking, the slope of the line tells you how
"steep" the line is: The larger the slope (in absolute value), the "steeper" the line. Lines with
positive slope go up to the right, and lines with negative slope go down to the right.
Horizontal lines have slope 0. Vertical lines have undefined slope:

(You may notice that the

undefined slope graph is
black and the others are
blue. This is because the
line, in this case x=2, is
not a function (it fails the
vertical line test), whereas
the other lines are
functions.)

The formula for the slope of the line passing through the points (x1,y1) and (x2,y2) (here,
x1 and x2 must be different) is:

slope = m = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1).

For example, the slope of the line passing through the points (2,-4) and (-1,3) is

m=(3 - (-4)) / (-1 - 2) = 7/(-3) = -7/3.

1) Find the slope of the line passing through the points

(x1,y1) = ( 3, 0) and (x2,y2) = ( 0, 3).
First, find the y-coordinate difference
y = y2 - y1 =

And the x-coordinate difference

x = x2 - x1 =

Now compute the slope.

slope =

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 Equation of the Line Between Two Points

Any nonvertical line in the plane can be written in the form y = mx + b. Here m is the
slope of the line, and b is the y-intercept (the point where the line crosses the y-axis). For
vertical lines the equations look different; they take the form x = k for some number k, and
do not have a well-defined slope (one may say that a vertical line has infinite slope).

Given two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) , it is not difficult to find the equation of the unique line
through them. The procedure is as follows:

First - calculate the slope of the line through (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) using the formula

 y = y2 - y1
 x = x2 - x1
 slope m = y / x = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1).

Next - choose one of the given points (it doesn't matter which one you choose as they
are both on the line), and substitute its x- and y-coordinates for x and y, respectively, in the
equation y = mx + b. Use the slope (calculated above) for m and solve this equation for b.
Now, both m and b are known, and the equation of the line is determined.

Example: Find the equation of the line passing through the points (1,4) and (3,10)

First find the slope of the line through these two points:
m = (10 - 4) / (3 - 1) = 6/2 = 3.
Now use this to solve for b, using the first point, (1,4):
y = 3x + b becomes 4 = 3(1) + b.
Solving this equation gives b = 1.
Therefore, the equation of the line through these points is
y = 3x + 1. The graph of this line is shown to the right.

1) Find the equation of the line passing through the points (3,0) and (0,3).

Step 1 - Find the slope of the line through the points (3,0) and (0,3).

Type your answer here:

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Step 2 - Now find the equation of the line through the points (3,0) and (0,3).

Type your answer here: y = Please use the variable x in your answer.

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 Parallel Lines

A line in the plane is simply a set of points (x,y) satisfying the following relationship for some
given A,B and C: Ax+By=C

Two lines are said to be parallel if they do not intersect. In terms of their equations:

Ax+By=D represents the general form of the equation of the line parallel to: Ax+By=C

Notice that the parameter D represents a family of lines which are parallel to the given line.

For example, all lines which are parallel to the line 3x+2y=6 satisfy the following equation
for some D 3x+2y=D

If we specify that the parallel line should pass through the point (1,2) then D=7 and the
equation for such a line is: 3x+2y=7

1) Find the equation of the line

 passing through the point (0,1)

 parallel to the line 2x - 2y = 5

Type your answer as a linear equation in x and y:

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20) Find the equation of the line

 passing through the point (-2,1)

 parallel to the line -3x + 4/3y = 11

Type your answer as a linear equation in x and y:

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 Normal Lines

A line in the plane is simply a set of points (x,y) satisfying the following relationship for some
given A,B and C: Ax+By=C

Two lines are said to be "perpendicular" if they form right angles at their point of
intersection. We also use the words "orthogonal" and "normal" for the same property; these
three words are synonimous. The general form of the equations of two mutually perpendicular
lines is:

 L1: Ax+By=C
 L2: -Bx+Ay=D

We can understand this in terms of the slopes of the lines: if two lines are orthogonal, their
slopes are negative reciprocal. In other words, if m1 and m2are the respective slopes, then

 m1 = -A/B
 m2 = B/A
 Thus m1 * m2 = -1

This is the well-known condition for two lines to be normal to each other.

Notice that the parameter D in the equation for L2 can take

any value, so the second equation represents a family of
lines which are perpendicular to the given line.

The value of D may be determined by specifying a

particular point which should be on the line. For example,
all lines which are perpendicular to the line

3x+2y=6 satisfy the following equation for some D -

2x+3y=D

If we specify that the perpendicular line should pass

through the point (1,2) then D=4 and the equation for such
a line is: -2x+3y=4

21) Find the equation of the line

 passing through the point (6/7,0)

 normal to the line 9/2x + 2/3y = 3/4

Type your answer as a linear equation in x and y:

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 Distance Between Two Points

Finding the distance between two points in the plane is a simple process:

1. Find the "change in x" between the points. We call this x.

2. Find the "change in y" between the points. This is called y.
3. Use the formula

distance = sqrt( ( x)2 + ( y)2)

Example: Find the distance between the points (4,8) and (5,2).

 x = -1, since 4 - 5 = -1.

 y = 6, since 8 - 2 = 6.
 distance = sqrt(12 + 62) = sqrt(37), or approximately 6.0828.

Note that alternatively we could have said

x = 1, since 5 - 4 = 1 and
y = -6, since 2 - 8 = -6.

Since the deltas are squared we end up with the same answer.

You should be consistent with which point comes first and which point comes second. It
would not be acceptable to have x = 1 and y = 6, since that would mix up the order of
the points between figuring out the two deltas.

In this module your answers to x and y must be exact. However, you may approximate
the final distance between the two points.

15) Find the distance between the points ( 6,2/3) and (4,1/4).

x=

y=

Now compute the distance between the

points:
distance =

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 Distance between a Point and a Line

The distance between a given point in the plane and a given line in the plane is defined to be
the length of the line segment perpendicular to the given line which begins at the given point
and ends at the given line. The calculation of this distance is a three step process:

1. Find the equation of the line passing through the given point and perpendicular
to the given line (please see the related module for an explanation of this step)
2. Find the point of intersection of the perpendicular line and the given line
3. Calculate the distance from the point of intersection to the given point (please
see the related module for an explanation of this step)

More explicit : find the distance between the point P = (a,b) and the line L: Cx+Dy=E

1. Find the equation of the line orthogonal to L through P.

Orthogonal means the slope is the negative reciprocal of the slope of L.
Slope of L = -C/D (solve for y to get it)
Slope of orthogonal line = D/C
Equation of orthogonal line: Dx-Cy=constant
To find constant, plug in the coords (a,b) of P.

2. Say constant = K, then equations of the two lines are

Cx+Dy=E
Dx-Cy=K

Solve this set of equations for x and y to get the point of intersection Q of the
two lines.

3. The distance you are looking for is the distance between P and Q, just use the
ordinary distance formula.

Example: Find the distance between the point (0,1) and the line x - y = 0.

Step 1: The equation of line passing through (0,1) and perpendicular to x - y = 0 is x + y = 1

Step 2: The line x - y = 0 and the line x + y = 1 intersect at the point (1/2,1/2)

Step 3: The distance between the point (0,1) and the point (1/2,1/2) is 1/(sqrt(2)) = 0.71

20) Find the distance between the point (1, 23/5) and the line 2x - 5y = 8.

Step 1: Using variables x and y, write the equation of the line that is perpendicular
to the one given (the red line to the right) and passes through the point (1,23/5).

Enter the equation below:

 Equations of Circles

A circle is a plane curve consisting of all the points whose distance to a fixed point
inside the curve (called the center ) is a given non-negative real number r (called
the radius ). The radius determines the size of the circle and the center determines its
position. The picture would look something like this:

If (x, y) is a general point on the circle and (a, b) is the center, then the distance between these
points is given by the distance formula:

distance = sqrt [ (x - a)2 + (y - b)2]

Setting this expression equal to the radius r and squaring both sides of this equation, we get:

(x - a)2 + (y - b)2 = r2

For example, if the center is (3,-2) and the radius is 6, then the equation of the circle is:

(x - 3)2 + (y - (-2))2 = 62

(x - 3)2 + (y + 2)2 = 36

x2 + y2 - 6x + 4y -23 = 0

This is a quadratic equation in two variables, x and y. The coefficients of x2 and y2 are both 1.

Thus, a circle is a special type of conic section, a general curve in the plane defined by a
quadratic equation.

In the problems for this module, you will be given the center and radius of a circle, and then
asked to enter the coefficients of the equation. Numbers may be entered as integers, fractions
or decimals. You may also use standard functions like sqrt. Be careful rounding off decimals,
you should use at least three decimal places.

1) Find the equation of the circle with A Random Circle

center = ( 3, 4 )

radius = 5

If you get the problem right

you can see the graph of the circle

Enter the required coefficients (as numbers):

x2 + y2 + x+ y+ =0

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 Equations of Circles II

The equation of a circle with center (a,b) and radius r is: (x - a)2 + (y - b)2 = r2

If we expand it, we get Ax2 + By2 + Dx + Ey + C = 0

If we are given such an equation, the process of "completing the square" will allow us to find
the coordinates of the center and the radius. Suppose, for example, we are given the equation

2x2 + 2y2 - 5x + 8y = 10.

First divide by 2 to get

x2 + y2 - (5/2)x + 4y = 5.

Now complete the square in both x and y by adding the squares of the coefficients of x and y
divided by 2 to both sides of the equation:

x2 - (5/2)x + 25/16 + y2 + 4y + 4 = 5 + 25/16 + 4.

( x - 5/4 )2 + ( y + 2 )2 = 169/16

Thus, the center is ( a, b ) = ( 5/4, -2 ) and the radius is r = sqrt ( 169/16 ) = 13/4.

a=-D/2 b=-E/2 r2=a2 + b2 - C

In the problems for this module, you will be given the equation of a circle, and then asked to
enter the center and radius. Numbers may be entered as integers, fractions or decimals. You
may also use standard functions like sqrt. Be careful rounding off decimals, you should use at
least three decimal places.

8) Here is the equation of a circle:

3x2 + 3y2 - 15x - 30y = 0

The graph of the equation is shown to the right. It is your job to find the center and
the radius of the circle.

Enter the coordinates of the center and the radius (as numbers):

The center is ( , )

and the radius is

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 Equations of circles III

The formula for the distance between two points in the plane leads to a quadratic equation for
the circle. If the center is (c1, c2) and the radius r, the equation is

(x - c1)2 + (y - c2)2 = r2
This simplifies to an equation with quadratic, linear and constant terms:
x2 + y2 + Dx + Ey + C = 0

If a particular point P = (p1, p2) happens to lie on the circle, then its coordinates satisfy this
equation. Substituting in these values for x and y produces a linear condition in the unknowns
D, E, C. For example, if the point (2,-3) lies on the circle, substitute x = 2 and y = -3 and we
get 4 + 9 + 2D - 3E + C = 0 or 2D - 3E + C= -13

If we have three such points we get three linear equations in three unknowns and can solve for
D, E and C; we then have the equation for the circle. From this it follows that there is unique
circle (or, technically, it may turn out to be a line rather than a circle) passing through any
three points.

For this module, we are interested in the special case that one of the points is the origin (0,0).
Substituting (0,0) in for (x,y) knocks out the constant term: C = 0

Substituting in the coordinates of the other two points gives two linear equations in D and E.

For example, suppose the circle must pass through (2,1) and (-1,2). The equations we get are

5 + 2D +E = 0
5 - D + 2E = 0 Solving these by linear algebra methods we find that D = -1 and E = -3.

This produces the equation:

x2 + y2 - x - 3y = 0.

The graph of the circle is shown to the right.

The graph of the circle

20) Find the equation of the circle passing through the origin, and also passing
through the points (3,2) and (-2,1).

We know the equation is of this form:

x2 + y2 + Dx + Ey = 0

Step 1 - Substitute the coordinates of the first point (3, 2) for x and y to obtain the first linear equation in
D and E:

EQ1: Enter a linear equation

 Equations of circles IV

The formula for the distance between two points in the plane leads to a quadratic equation for
the circle. If the center is (c1, c2) and the radius r, the equation is

(x - c1)2 + (y - c2)2 = r2
This simplifies to an equation with quadratic, linear and constant terms:
x2 + y2 + Dx + Ey + C = 0

If a particular point P = (p1, p2) happens to lie on the circle, then its coordinates satisfy this
equation. Substituting in these values for x and y produces a linear condition in the unknowns
D, E, C.

If we have three such points we get three linear equations in three unknowns and can solve for
D, E and K; we then have the equation for the circle. From this it follows that there is unique
circle (or, technically, it may turn out to be a line rather than a circle) passing through any
three points.

For example, suppose the circle must pass through (1,1), (2,0) and (-2,1). The equations we
get are

2+D+E+C=0
4 + 2D + C = 0
5 - 2D + E + C = 0 Solving these by linear algebra methods we find that D = 1, E = 3, C = -6.

This produces the equation:

x2 + y2 + x + 3y - 6 = 0.

The graph of the circle is shown to the right.

The graph of the circle

7) Find the equation of the circle passing through these points:
(-1,0), (2,0) and (1,1)

We know the equation is of this form:

x2 + y2 + Dx + Ey = F

Step 1 - Substitute the coordinates of the first point (-1, 0) for x and y to obtain the first linear equation in
D, E and F:

EQ1: Enter a linear equation

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 Simple inequalities

A linear inequality is like a linear equation A=B with the "=" sign replaced by an inequality
sign. Here A and B represent linear expressions in a variable, say x, so they look something
like ax+b, where a and b are numbers.

There are four possible types of linear inequalities: A < B A > B A ≤ B A ≥ B

The most natural question we might ask about a linear inequality is "What is its solution set?"
That is For which values of x is it true that ax+b < cx+d?
In this module we will encounter simple linear inequalities in which the right hand side B is a
constant. Thus, we are working with inequalities of these types:
ax+b < c , ax+b > c , ax+b ≤ c , ax+b ≥ c
The algebra for solving linear inequalities is very much like that for solving linear equations:

 Addition (or subtraction) of the same number to both sides of an equation preserves the
equation.
 Multiplication (or division) by the same non-zero number to both sides of an equation
preserves the equation. (Of course, you could also multiply both sides by zero, but that
is unlikely to be a useful tactic.)

These rules correspond to three rules for solving inequalities:

 Addition (or subtraction) of the same number to both sides of an inequality preserves
the inequality.
 Multiplication (or division) by the same positive number to both sides of an inequality
preserves the inequality.
 Multiplication (or division) by the same negative number to both sides of an inequality
reverses the inequality.

The solution set for a linear inequality is always an interval which has one finite endpoint, and
goes to infinity or -infinity in the other direction. Thus, we can represent the solution set as an
interval of one of these types: (-infinity, E) , (-infinity, E] , (E, -infinity) , [E, -infinity)
Here E is the finite end point we would solve for above. Strict inequalities lead to an interval
open (round parenthesis) at the finite end point, non-strict to a closed (square bracket) end.

Example 1: Solve the following inequality: 3x + 4 < 8

(Notice that a = 3 in this example and that this is a positive
number.) 22) Solve the inequality: -5 x + 8 > -11
and write the solution set as an interval.
3x + 4 < 8
3x < 8 - 4 (subtracting 4 from both sides) The solution interval is
3x < 4
x < 4/3 (dividing by the positive number 3)
We must now represent the set of numbers satisfying this
condition as an interval. The condition means that any
number x less than 4/3 is included; that is, any number to
the left of 4/3 on the number line, with 4/3 not included. Check your answ er Next Problem Previous Problem
Thus the interval is:
Go to: 22
 ( - infinity, 4/3 )
 Absolute Value Inequalities

The absolute value | x | of a number x can be thought of as the "positive" version of x, or the "magnitude"
of x independent of sign. A geometric way to think of | x | is as the distance on the number line between
the number x and the number 0. It is usually defined in a piecewise manner:
x when x ≥ 0
|x|=
- x when x < 0
In calculus, we often encounter situations in which we must limit the size of the absolute value of a
function. This can be described by an inequality: | f(x) | < M

For example, if x is ranging over the domain of f, M might be called an upper bound for f.

We are often concerned with the set of possible values for x which satisfy this upper bound. Finding that
set means "solving" the inequality. In general, for a complicated function f, this may well be a difficult, or
even impossible, algebraic task.

We now consider absolute value upper bound inequalities for functions of the same type:
| ax+b | < c , | ax+b | ≤ c

You will notice that we are not looking at lower bound inequalities like | 3x+5 | > 2. These are somewhat
less important, and require a slightly different treatment.

Let us first consider the values of x that make the statement | x | < M true. This statement is never true if
M is a negative number, so we only consider inequalities with positive M. One notices that if 0 ≤ x < M
then x does make this statement true. However since both x and -x have the same absolute value it is also
true when 0 < -x < M or -M < x < 0

We may put these two inequalities together on a single line: The solution set for the inequality | x | < M
is -M < x < M

Now let us apply that reasoning to | f(x) | , to determine which values of x make the following statement
true: | ax + b | < M. Again the problem reduces to finding those x for which -M < ax + b < M. To solve,
we think of this again as two separate linear inequalities

 ax + b < M
 ax + b > - M These may be solved as usual, and the results put together.

For example, suppose we want to solve | 2X+1 | < 3.

The solutions X must satisfy: and also

 2X + 1 < 3  2X + 1 > - 3
 2X < 2  2X > - 4
 X<1  X>-2

The solution is an interval -2 < X < , which we may write in interval notation as (-2,1).

The solution set for a linear absolute value inequality is always a finite interval, open or closed depending
on the type of inequality. Thus, we can represent the solution set as an interval of one of these types: (A,
B) , [A, B]

21) Solve the inequality: | 3/5x + 7/5 | ≤ 2

and write the solution set as an interval. The solution interval is

 Inequalities and intervals

Often we express conditions on a variable x with inequalites such as

|ax + b| < c or ax + b| ≤ c or |ax + b| > c or |ax + b| ≥ c (a, b and c are given numbers)
meaning we let x vary through the set of values for which the given inequality holds.

For example, the inequality |x| < 1 tells us that x is allowed to 'move' between -1 and 1, not
including the endpoints, and the inequality |x| > 1 tells us to limit x to move between - and
-1, or 1 and .
The sets where the x is allowed to vary is an interval, or a union of two intervals. Thus the
condition |x| < 1 is expressed as 'x belongs to the interval (-1,1)', while the condition |x| > 1
says that x belongs to the union of the intervals (- ,-1) and (1, ).

In this module you will be presented with an inequality expressing a condition on a variable,
and are asked to find the set (as an interval or as a union of two intervals) where the variable
is allowed to move. The basic rules to remember are:

1. The condition |x| < c says -c < x AND x < c

2. The condition |x| > c says x < -c OR c < x
Examples

1. Express the condition |2x - 1| < 3 as an interval. From rule 1, the inequality says

-3 < 2x - 1 and 2x - 1 < 3

To 'convert' the last pair of inequalities into an interval, we work them out individually,
aiming in each case at getting equivalent inequalities where x is alone on one side of
the inequality.

Working first with -3 < 2x - 1 we get: Now we work with 2x - 1 < 3:

-3 + 1 < 2x (add 1 to both sides) 2x < 3 + 1 (add 1 to both sides)

(-3 + 1)/2 < x (divide both sides by 2) x < (3+1)/2 (divide both sides by 2)
-1 < x (simplify) x<2 (simplify)

We thus get that |2x - 1| < 3 is equivalent to -1 < x and x < 2 which says that x is in
the interval (-1,2).

2. Express |2x - 1| > 3 as an interval. Note that this has the reverse inequality sign. From
rule 2, we get

2x - 1 < -3 or 3 < 2x - 1. Again we work out each inequality individually.

Starting with 2x - 1 < -3 we get For 3 < 2x - 1 we get

2x < -3 + 1 (add 1 to both sides) 3 + 1 > 2x (add 1 to both sides)

x < (-3 +
(divide both sides by 2) (3 + 1)/2x > x (divide both sides by 2)
1)/2
x < -1 (simplify) 2>x (simplify)
 so the inequality is equivalent to x < -1 or x > 2

The first of these inequalities says that x is in (- ,-1) and the second, that x is in (2, ).
Since it is in or the other, the set is the union: (- ,-1) union (2, ).

Inequalities with ≤ instead of < or ≥ instead of > are handled the same way. For example,

3. We may have some more complicated looking inequality, for example

3 < 5|x + 3/2| - 2|2x + 3|

In this case first we combine the terms. Note that |2x + 3| = 2|x + 3/2|, so

5|x + 3/2| - 2|2x + 3| = 5|x + 3/2| - 4|x + 3/2| = |x + 3/2|.

Thus the inequality is 'really' 3 < |x + 3/2|, equivalent to x + 3/2 < -3 or x + 3/2 > 3

which in turn is equivalent to x < -9/2 or x > 3/2

which gives (- ,-9/2) union (3/2, )

Note: The numerical parts of any answers must be exact. Also, sometimes the module will tell
you that the answer is correct, but not in the form it wants, which is with the variable alone on
one side of the inequality. In such case, just reenter the answer as COW wants it (after all, it is
a bit bovine).

1) Find the interval (or intervals) of values of x such that

x - 5 < 2x + 9
As first step, write the inequality as an equivalent inequality with x appearing in only one
side.
Enter your answer below:

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18) Find the interval (or intervals) of values of x such that

|x + 3| + |2x + 6| < 5 + 2|x + 3|
As first step, write this as an equivalent inequality so that only one expression with absolute values
appears on one side of it.
Enter your answer below:

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 Composition of Functions

Functional composition is a way of combining two functions, f(x) and g(t), in order to get the
sequential effect of applying both of them. We can view f(g(t)) as a function constructed by
taking as input for f the output of g. In other words, we are substituting g(t) for the input
variable x in f(x). We shall write the composite function as f o g(t). For example, if
f(x)=x2 + 3 and g(t) = 5 t

then the composition f(g(t)) is

f o g(t) = (5 t)2 + 3 = 25 t2 +3

Likewise, the composition g(f(x)) is

g o f(x) = 5 (x2 + 3) = 5 x2 + 15

Note that f o g does not equal g o f. In fact, the two compositions are rarely equal, and generally
the variables are not even the same (as in this case).

Since f and g are distinct functions with possibly different domains, it is natural to use
different variables to represent their input arguments. The input variable for f o g is t, since
that is the input argument for g(t), the first function applied in the composition. Similarly, the
input variable for g o f is x. When you enter your answers, you must be careful to use the
proper variables, or the COW will object.

20) For the given functions

 f(p) = p1 - p
 g(w) = w + 1

Find the composite functions f o g(w) and g o f(p)

f o g(w) =

g o f(p) =

Check your answ er Next Problem Previous Problem Go to: 21 Help

 Solving Quadratic Equations

Polynomials of the form ax2 + bx + c are called quadratic. In this module we will solve
quadratic equations of the form:

ax2 + bx + c = 0

In the above quadratic equation, the letter a is the coefficient of x2 , b is the coefficient of the
linear term x and c is the constant term. The solutions to this equation (of which there are two)
are called roots.

Solving a quadratic equation

There are two ways to solve for the roots of a quadratic equation:

 Factoring
 The Quadratic Formula

Method One : Factoring

Consider the quadratic equation, x2 + 5x + 6 = 0. We want to factor this equation and then
find its roots. We will use this equation to demonstrate the factoring method.

By factoring we would like to write x2 + 5x + 6 as (x + n) (x + m) for some numbers n and m.

If we multiply (x +n) (x + m) we should get,

(x + n) (x + m) = x2 + (n + m) x + nm

If we compare this with x2 + 5x + 6, we see that we need: n + m = 5 and nm = 6. In other

words, we need to find two numbers that when multiplied together give us 6, and when added
together give us 5. In order to do this we first look at the factors of 6. They are:

1 and 6
2 and 3

Since we also need the sum of the factors to be 5, we observe that 2 and 3 must be the
numbers for which we are looking. Hence we have:

x2 + 5x + 6 = (x + 2) (x + 3)

After factoring, we set each of our factors equal to zero and solve the equations to find the
solutions. In our case, we have to find the solutions of (x + 2)(x + 3) = 0. The first solution is
x + 2 = 0 and the second solution is x + 3 = 0. Solving for x, we see that the roots of x2 + 5x +
6 = 0 are -2 and -3.

Some quadratic equations are difficult to factor, so for these equations we need another
method known as the quadratic formula method. The quadratic formula method is a little
complicated, so let us understand it step by step.
Method Two: The Quadratic Formula

For a quadratic equation ax2 + bx +c, the discriminant D is, D = b2 - 4ac. The solutions (two
roots) to the quadratic equation are as given below,

-b √D

2a

Let us find the solutions of the quadratic equation x2 + 2x - 2 = 0. First, try to factor the
equation in a way we discussed above. We would look for n and m because we would like to
write x2 + 2x - 2 as (x + n) (x + m). You should convince yourself that in this case there is no
"easy" factoring. Thus we will us the quadratic formula.

For the quadratic equation x2 + 2x - 2 we have a = 1, b = 2, and c = -2. Where a is the

coefficient of the x2 term, b is the coefficient of the x term, and c in the constant. Hence, the
discriminant is,

D = b2 - 4ac D = 22 - 4(1)(-2) D=2+8 D = 12

Using the quadratic formula, the roots of x2 + 2x - 2 = 0 are,

Root1 Root2
= (-2 + sqrt(12) )/ ((2)(1)) = (-2 - sqrt(12) )/ ((2)(1))
= (-2 + 2sqrt(3)) / 2 = (-2 - 2sqrt(3)) / 2
= -1 + sqrt(3) = -1 - sqrt(3)

Hence, the two roots of x2 + 2x - 2 are -1 + sqrt(3) and -1 - sqrt(3).

7) Solve the following quadratic equation

x2 - 4x - 7 = 0
Begin the problem by choosing a method from the ones shown below.

Factor to find the rational roots

Use quadratic formula to find the discriminant, find the irrational
roots.

Check your answ er Next Problem Previous Problem Go to: 8 Help

(*) Xplore finds solutions to quadratic equations using SOLVE or SOLVEPOLY commands.
 Graphing Functions

Functions can be graphed: for each legitimate input value x, pair it with the output value to get a point
(x,y) = (x,f(x)).

For example:

If f(x)=x2, then the set of points in the plane {(a,a2)} together form the graph y = x2.
The graph would looks like this.

If the graph of F(x) is

Then the following graphs would look like this: F(2x) F( - x) F(x2)

Graph Shifting

Some simple operations on a function f(x) have a natural effect on the graph, transforming it in a
predictable way. For example, adding a constant to the function shifts the graph vertically by that amount.
For instance, if you add 1 to F(x), this will shift the graph up 1 unit. Here is a summary of some common
operations and their effects on graphs:

 F(x) -> F(x) + n shifts the graph upwards by n units,

 F(x) -> F(x) - n shifts the graph downwards by n units.
 F(x) -> F(x-n) will shift the graph n unit to the right.
 F(x) -> F(x+n) will shift the graph n units to the left.
 F(x) -> F(-x) is a horizontal reflection (that is, a mirror image) of F(x)
 F(x) -> -F(x) is a vertical reflection
 F(x) -> -F(-x) rotates the graph by 180 degrees.
 F(x) -> cF(x) expands the graph vertically, if c > 1, and shrinks it vertically if c < 1.
 F(x) -> F(cx) shrinks the graph horizontally, if c > 1, while F(x/c) expands it horizontally.

For Example:

If the graph of F(x) is

Then the following graphs look like this:

F( - x) -F( - x) F(2x) F(x/2) F(x + 1) F(x - 1) F(x) + 1

 Plotting Points in the Plane

1) Please locate each of the points in the list given below, clicking them one at a time in the "graph
paper", with the axes and scales shown.

Points to be located:

(3, 0)

(2, -3)

(0, 1)

Next Problem Previous Problem Go to: 2 Help

Sketching Curves in the Plane

12) Start constructing a section of the graph of the function

y = 4x2 - x4

on the interval [-2.5,2.5] by clicking on a point (x,y) which

lies on the curve. Use the "graph paper" to the right, with the
axes and scales shown.

Next Problem Previous Problem Go to: 12 Help

Graph Shifting

25) If the graph of F(x) looks like this:

Then find the graph of F(x + 1) from the graphs given below:

A B C D E

Please select your choice:

A B C D E