Constructing linear functions word problems

The  exercise appears under the 8th grade (U.S.) Math Mission and Algebra I Math Mission. This exercise increases confidence with reading word problems and finding equations from context.

Types of Problems
There is one type of problem in this exercise:


 * 1) Find an equation for the word problem: This problem describes a real-life situation that can be modeled with a linear equation. The student is expected to read the situation and find the equation of a line that models the situation.Clfwp1.png

Strategies
Knowledge of the graphs of lines and comfort with word problems are encouraged to ensure success on this exercise.
 * 1) The slope-intercept form of a line is $$y=mx+b$$, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept.
 * 2) The point-slope form, $$y-y_1=m(x-x_1)$$ may also be useful.
 * 3) Any equivalent equation for the line is acceptable, so it is not necessary to worry about simplification on this exercise.

Real-life Applications

 * 1) A line is the basic one-dimensional shape from geometry.
 * 2) A line is used to approximate the most complicated functions in calculus.
 * 3) Many of the problem in this exercise are real-life applications.