Exploring Other Function Models
Resources for this lesson:
> Glossary 
> Calculator Resources
> Teacher Resources: Instructional Notes
Compare your list to the sample responses below. The sample responses provide descriptions of data sets that would indicate whether a linear, exponential or quadratic function would be the most appropriate function to model a given data set.
Check Your Understanding
Linear, Exponential and Quadratic Functions
Click on a box to explore each topic.
Key behaviors of LINEAR functions- Graph is a line
- Always increasing or always decreasing
- No maximum or minimum
- Constant rate of change/constant slope
- When the data is moving in one direction (always increasing or always decreasing)
- When the data shows a relatively constant increase or decrease
- Example: Distance-time graphs if speed is constant
- Graph is a curve
- Always increasing or always decreasing
- No maximum or minimum
- Constant multiplier (growth factor)
- Has a horizontal asymptote (if exponential decay, the function approaches this value)
- When the data is moving in one direction (always increasing or always decreasing)
- When the data in not increasing/decreaing by a constant (linear association)
- Examples: Cooling curves, population
- Graph is a parabola
- Graph changes direction (increases then decreases or decreases then increases)
- Has a maximum or minimum (where the graph changes direction)
- Second differences are constant
- When the data could change direction
- When the data is not increasing/decreasing by a constant (linear association)
- Example: Area models
