Linear Relationships – Patterns, Rules and Graphs

1. A construction firm builds bridges using spans, as shown in the diagram:

3-span
1-span 2-span
(10 struts)
(4 struts) (7 struts)

Number of spans (n) 1 2 3 4 5

Number of struts (S) 4 7 10
a) Complete the table.
b) Write a rule to calculate the number of struts, S, required for a given number of spans n.
c) Is this pattern discrete or continuous? Graph the pattern to show how many struts are used to
create n=1 to n=5 spans.
d) A bridge requires 50 spans. How many struts are required?

2. Painter A determines how much to charge his clients using the table below:

Number of hours worked (h) 1 2 3 4 5 6

Total Cost (T) $70 $90 $110

a) Complete the table.

b) Give the rule for finding the Total Cost (T) for the hth hour.
c) Is this pattern discrete or continuous? Graph the pattern to show the Painter A’s costs between one
hour and five hours.
d) Use the graph to determine how much he would charge for 2.5 hours of work.
e) What is Painter A’s hourly rate? How is this shown on the graph?
f) How much would Painter A be paid for 7.5 hours?

3. A seedling grows 1cm per day after the first day. The seed is 0.5cm high.
a) Fill in the table to show the seed’s growth over 7 days.

Day (d) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Seedling height (H)

b) Graph the seedling growth over the first seven days.

c) Determine the rule to show the relationship
between the day, d, and the seedling
height, H.

4. A pattern is made using matchsticks. The rule for the pattern is:
, where M is the number of matchsticks used for the nth design.
a) Create a table to show the number of matchsticks used in the first 5 patterns.
b) How many matchsticks would be in the 50th pattern?
c) Show this relationship on a graph.

5. A different matchstick pattern has the rule: , where M is the number of matchsticks used
for the nth pattern. Create a table to show this relationship and use the table to draw a graph for the
first 5 patterns.
6. A pattern is shown on the graph below.
Create a table to show the pattern.
Find the rule for this pattern.

7. A pattern is made using grey and white discs.

Complete the table for this pattern.

White discs (w) 1 2 3 4 5

Grey discs (g) 4 6 8

a) Plot a graph, showing the relationship, between 1 and 7 white discs.

b) Why does the graph begin at white disc =1?
c) Determine the general rule for number of grey discs, g, when the pattern has w, white, discs.

d) Create a table to show the TOTAL number of coins in each pattern.

e) Use the table to determine a rule for the TOTAL number of discs in the nth pattern.
f) How many discs would be used for the 18th pattern?

8. Alison is making a square herb garden. She wants to put a border around the garden using square
concrete tiles. The border is to be one tile wide. The table below gives the total number of tiles
needed for a given edge width.

Number of tiles along an edge (n) 3 4 5 6

Total number of tiles around the garden (T) 8 12 16 20

a) Graph the pattern to show the total number of tiles required for n=3 to n= 7.
b) Write a rule for the total number of tiles around the Alison’s herb garden when n tiles are used
along the edge.
c) Alison decides she will need 20 tiles along an edge. What is the total number of tiles she will need?
d) William decides to use the same pattern. He has 196 tiles. How many tiles will he have along one
edge?
Answers
1. b) c) discrete, d) 151 struts 2. b) c) continuous

3. b)

d) $100 e) $20 per hour

Each hour the graph increases by $20.
f) $200

4. a)
Pattern (n) 1 2 3 4 5
No. matchsticks (M) 3 5 7 9 10 6
x 1 2 3 4 5
b) 101 y 2 7 12 17 22
c) Rule: 𝑦 𝑥

7 a)
5. Pattern (n) 1 2 3 4 5 b) The smallest pattern that can be created
has 1 white disc.
No. matchsticks (M) 12 20 28 36 44
c) 𝑔 𝑤
d)
Pattern (n) 1 2 3 4 5
Total discs (T) 5 8 11 14 17

e) 𝑇 𝑛 f) 56

8 a)
b) 𝑇 𝑛 c) 76 d) 50