Day 4: Lesson Rate of Change (Slope)

Average Speed as Rate of Change A rate of change is a rate that describes how one quantity changes in relation to another quantity.

rise

run is called the rate of change or slope

It is a measure of the steepness of a line.

The rate of change of a distance-time graph is the average speed.

The rate of change can be positive or negative.

The of the roof of a house is referred to as the

of the roof by home builders.

Engineers refer to the of a road as the .

They often represent the rate of change as a .

Example 1. Calculate the rate of change (slope) using the graphs below. Include units.

a) b)

Example 2: Determine the slope of the line.

Chris runs each day as part of his daily exercise. The graph shows his distance from home as he runs his route.

Calculate his rate of change (slope) for each segment of the graph. Include units in your answer.