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A horizontal line (the graph of a constant function) has zero slope: =. A vertical line has undefined or infinite slope (see below). If two points of a road have altitudes y 1 and y 2 , the rise is the difference ( y 2 − y 1 ) = Δ y .
The graph of such a function of one variable is a nonvertical line. a is frequently referred to as the slope of the line, and b as the intercept. If a > 0 then the gradient is positive and the graph slopes upwards. If a < 0 then the gradient is negative and the graph slopes downwards.
The phrase "linear equation" takes its origin in this correspondence between lines and equations: a linear equation in two variables is an equation whose solutions form a line. If b ≠ 0, the line is the graph of the function of x that has been defined in the preceding section. If b = 0, the line is a vertical line (that is a line parallel to ...
A linear function is a polynomial function in which the variable x has degree at most one: [2] . Such a function is called linear because its graph, the set of all points in the Cartesian plane, is a line. The coefficient a is called the slope of the function and of the line (see below). If the slope is , this is a constant function defining a ...
Grade (slope) The grade (US) or gradient (UK) (also called stepth, slope, incline, mainfall, pitch or rise) of a physical feature, landform or constructed line refers to the tangent of the angle of that surface to the horizontal. It is a special case of the slope, where zero indicates horizontality. A larger number indicates higher or steeper ...
The gradient, represented by the blue arrows, denotes the direction of greatest change of a scalar function. The values of the function are represented in greyscale and increase in value from white (low) to dark (high). In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function of several variables is the vector field (or ...
Motion graphs and derivatives. The green line shows the slope of the velocity-time graph at the particular point where the two lines touch. Its slope is the acceleration at that point. In mechanics, the derivative of the position vs. time graph of an object is equal to the velocity of the object. In the International System of Units, the ...
If it is positive then the graph has an upward concavity, and, if it is negative the graph has a downward concavity. If it is zero, then one has an inflection point or an undulation point . When the slope of the graph (that is the derivative of the function) is small, the signed curvature is well approximated by the second derivative.