ALTERNATIVE FORMAT

Try This

Relationships in Data

As mathematicians, we are often looking for patterns in relationships in situations involving numbers.

Related

For example, there is a relationship between the number of hours you babysit and the amount of money that you make
for babysitting.

As you spend more time babysitting there is a predictable change in the amount of money that you are paid.

Sources: Clock - olegganko/iStock/Thinkstock; Piggy - LilliDay/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Not Related

In contrast, there is no relationship between the number of socks I have in my sock drawer and the number of penguins
on earth.

When I buy new socks there isn't a predictable change in the penguin population. The penguins are not affected by my
socks and likely don't care about my socks at all.

Sources: Socks - Floortje/E+/Getty Images; Penguins - lazyfox/iStock/Getty Images

When data is related we try to describe the relationship mathematically using a graph, a table, or an equation so that we
can understand the relationship and make predictions for the future.

Lesson Goals

Explore linear relationships.

 Recognize linear relationships in:

graphs,

tables, and

equations.

Try This!

Constance and Julie both have lemonade stands.

Constance's lemonade stand charges $2 a glass.

Julie charges less when it is colder outside and more when it is hotter outside, to take advantage of her customers thirst.

A graph of the total money received by each lemonade stand during an afternoon is shown.

Constance’s Lemonade Stand Julie’s Lemonade Stand

20 20

18 18
16 16
14 14
Total Money ($)

Total Money ($)

12 12
10 10
8 8
6 6
4 4

2 2

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Lemonades Sold Lemonades Sold

There are many different types of relationships in data. One of these types of relationships is called a linear relationship.
Which of these graphs shows a relationship that we might call linear?
LINEAR

Even though the word linear might not be familiar to you, try to use clues in the word to help you with this question.
Think about this problem, then move on to the next part of the lesson.

Graphs of Linear Relationships

Try This Problem Revisited

Let's discuss our Try This problem from earlier.

You may have noted that the word "linear" has the word "line" inside of it.
LINEAR
This clue can help us remember that in a linear relationship, the data points, when graphed, all lie on a straight line.

Which of these graphs shows a relationship that we might call linear?

Constance’s Lemonade Stand Julie’s Lemonade Stand

20 20

18 18
16 16
14 14
Total Money ($)

Total Money ($)

12 12
10 10
8 8
6 6
4 4

2 2

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Lemonades Sold Lemonades Sold

Solution

When we inspect the lemonade stand graphs, we notice that the data points from Constance's lemonade sales all lie on
a straight line.
Constance’s Lemonade Stand
20

18
16
14
Total Money ($)

12
10
8
6
4

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Lemonades Sold
Therefore the data points represent an example of a linear relationship.
However, in Julie's lemonade sales, we cannot draw a straight line that has all of the data points lying on it.
 Julie’s Lemonade Stand
20

18
16
14

Total Money ($)

12
10
8
6
4

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Lemonades Sold
They therefore do not represent a linear relationship.

Graph of a Linear Relationship

Let's look a little closer at the linear relationship in Constance's lemonade sales to see if we can determine why all of the
data points lie on a straight line.

8
7

6
Total Money ($)

5
4
3
2

0 1 2 3 4
Lemonades Sold
If we focus on Constance's first 4 lemonade sales we see that when Constance sells 1 lemonade she receives $2.
 8
7

Total Money ($)

5
4
3 1
2

1 2

0 1 2 3 4
Lemonades Sold
When she sells 1 more lemonade she receives 2 more dollars.

8
7
6
Total Money ($)

5 1
4
3 1 2
2

1 2

0 1 2 3 4
Lemonades Sold
In fact, this pattern continues for each of her sales.
 1
8
7 1 2
6

Total Money ($)

5 1 2
4
3 1 2
2

1 2

0 1 2 3 4
Lemonades Sold
For every additional lemonade sold, the total money increases by $2.

This constant increase produces data points that all lie on a straight line.

1
8
7 1 2
6
Total Money ($)

5 1 2
4
3 1 2
2

1 2

0 1 2 3 4
Lemonades Sold

Let's contrast this with Julie's lemonade sales, which do not lie on a straight line.
 4

Total Money ($)

3

0 1 2 3 4
Lemonades Sold
When Julie sells her first lemonade, she receives $0.25. It must have been quite cold outside so her lemonade was
cheap.

4
Total Money ($)

1
1
0.25
0 1 2 3 4
Lemonades Sold
When she sells 1 more lemonade her total amount of money again increases by $0.25.
 4

Total Money ($)

3

1 1
1
0.25
0.25
0 1 2 3 4
Lemonades Sold
However, when she sells 1 more lemonade her total money increases this time by $0.50, which is a different amount. It
must have been getting warmer outside and Julie changed the price of her lemonade.

4
Total Money ($)

2
1
1 1
1 0.5
0.25
0.25
0 1 2 3 4
Lemonades Sold
On the sale of her next lemonade, the total money increased this time by $1, which again is a different amount.
 4

Total Money ($)

3
1
2
1 1
1 1
1 0.5
0.25
0.25
0 1 2 3 4
Lemonades Sold

Since the price of Julie's lemonade is changing, her data points do not lie on a straight line. For every additional
lemonade sold, the total money increases by a different amount. We can therefore say that the relationship between
Julie's lemonade sold and the total amount of money is not linear.

Linear Relationship Definition

Let's pause here and define a linear relationship.

Definition

A relationship between two quantities is called a linear relationship if it produces data points
that all lie on a straight line when graphed.

Notice that to decide if a relationship is linear we can inspect the graph of the data to see if the points all lie on a straight
line or not. We were able to do this when we were comparing the lemonade stand sales.

Linear relationships are very helpful for making predictions.

For instance, for this graph of a linear relationship, can you predict where to place the 4th data point in the graph?
 14

12

10

0 1 2 3 4 5
Take a moment and try this problem on your own.

Even though we don't know what situation created the data for this relationship, knowing that it is a linear relationship we
can use the given data to help us locate where the 4th point will be.

To go from Point 1 at (1, 3) to Point 2 at (2, 6), we moved to the right 1, and up 3.

14

12

10

8
1
6

4
3

0 1 2 3 4 5
To go from Point 2 at (2, 6) to Point 3 at (3, 9), we also moved to the right 1 and up 3.
 14

12

10
1

8
1 3
6

4
3

0 1 2 3 4 5
Therefore to find, the 4th data point, from data point 3 at (3, 9) we will need to move to the right 1, and up 3. We end up
with a point at (4, 12).

14
1
12

10
1 3

8
1 3
6

4
3

0 1 2 3 4 5
Notice that all four of our data points lie on a straight line.
 14
1
12

10
1 3

8
1 3
6

4
3

0 1 2 3 4 5

Example 1

Let's try applying this to another example.

A radio station has 36 concert tickets to give away as prizes. They decide to give away 4 tickets every day until they
run out of tickets.

Is the relationship between the number of tickets left and how many days have passed a linear relationship?

Solution

Here is the graph of the data points, with the number of tickets left on the vertical axis and the days that have passed on
the horizontal axis.
Number of Concert Tickets Left
40

36
32
28

24
Tickets

20
16
12
8

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Days
Notice that all of the data points lie on a straight line.
 Number of Concert Tickets Left
40

36
32
28

24

Tickets
20
16
12
8

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Days
Therefore, there is a linear relationship between the number of tickets left and the days that have passed.

Check Your Understanding 1

Question

Which of the following graphs show a linear relationship? Select all that apply.
Answer

Feedback

Graph 2 shows a linear relationship.

Remember that in a linear relationship, the data points all lie on a straight line when graphed. Looking at the graphs
below, you can see that the points in Graph 2 all lie on a straight line.
 Tables of Linear Relationships

Lemonade Sales Table

We have learned to recognize a linear relationship from a graph.

Is there a way to recognize a linear relationship directly from a data table?

Let's bring back Constance's lemonade sales example to help us with this.
Constance's Lemonade Stand

8
7
6
Total Money ($)

5
4
3
2

0 1 2 3 4
Lemonades Sold
On the graph we notice that each time one lemonade was sold, the amount of money increased by $2.

1
8
7 1 2
6
Total Money ($)

5 1 2
4
3 1 2
2

1 2

0 1 2 3 4
Lemonades Sold
We should be able to recognize this in the data table as well.
Here's the table of values for the lemonade sales.

Lemonades Sold Total Money ($)

1 2

2 4

3 6

4 8

5 10

In the first row, when the first lemonade was sold, the amount of money increased by $2. In the second row, when the
second lemonade was sold the amount of money increased again by $2 from $2 to $4.

In fact this pattern continues for the entire table, from $2, to $4, to $6, to $8, to $10.

For every additional lemonade that was sold, the total amount of money always increased by $2.
This constant increase produces a linear relationship between the total amount of money and the number of lemonades
sold.

Example 2

Let's have a look at another situation.

Suresh was filling his new backyard pool with water. As it was filling, he recorded the litres of water in the pool after
each hour, for the first 6 hours.

Source: Pool - grimgram/iStock/Getty Images

Here's a table of the data.

Time (hours) Water in Pool (litres)
1 1500

2 3000

3 4500

4 6000

5 7500

6 9000

How can we tell if there is a linear relationship in Suresh's data?

Solution

Of course we could graph the data points to see if they all lie in a straight line, but we can also use the table to help us
look for a linear relationship.
 Time (hours) Water in Pool (litres)
1 1500

2 3000

3 4500

4 6000

5 7500

6 9000

In the first row, during the first hour of filling the water volume increased by 1500 litres. In the second row, during the
second hour of filling the water volume increased by another 1500 litres, from 1500 to 3000.

In fact, this pattern continues for the entire table, from 1500, to 3000, to 4500, to 6000, to 7500, to 9000 litres.

For every 1 hour increase, the volume in the pool increased by 1500 litres.
This constant increase produces a linear relationship between the litres of water and the filling time.

Example 3

Consider the following sequence of images made up of shaded squares.

Is the relationship between the number of squares and the term number of the sequence a linear relationship?

Solution

First, we can create a table of values with the term number and the number of squares.

Term Number Number of Squares

1 4

2 8

3 12

4 16

We want to determine if a constant change in the term number produces a constant change in the number of squares.
When we move from term 1 with 4 squares to term 2 with 8 squares, the number of squares increases by 4. When we
move from term 2 with 8 squares to term 3 with 12 squares, the number of squares also increases by 4.
This pattern continues for the entire table, from 4, to 8, to 12, to 16 squares.

Each time the term number increases by 1, the number of squares increases by 4.

This constant increase indicates that there is a linear relationship between the term number and the number of squares.

In fact, if we graph these data points, we notice that the data points all lie on a straight line.
 20
18
16
14

Number of Squares
12
10
8
6
4
2

0 1 2 3 4 5
Term Number

Example 4

Consider the following sequence of images made up of triangles.

Here's the data table.

Term Number Number of Triangles

1 1

2 2

3 4

4 8

Is the relationship between the number of triangles and the term number of the sequence a linear relationship?

Take a moment and try this problem on your own.

Solution

We want to determine if a constant change in the term number produces a constant change in the number of triangles.
Term Number Number of Triangles
1 1

2 2

3 4

4 8

When we move from term 1 with 1 triangle to term 2 with 2 triangles, the number of triangles increases by 1. When we
move from term 2 with 2 triangles to term 3 with 4 triangles, the number of triangles increases by 2. And when we move
from term 3 with 4 triangles to term 4 with 8 triangles, the number of triangles increases by 4.

Each time the term number increases by 1, the number of triangles is increasing by a different value.
This is not what we found in our previous linear examples where they were increasing by a constant amount. This
indicates that this data does not have a linear relationship.

If we graph the data from our table, we notice that the data points do not all lie on a straight line.

10
9
8
7

Number of Triangles
6
5
4
3
2
1

0 1 2 3 4 5
Term Number
Therefore, the relationship between the number of triangles and the term number of this sequence is not a linear
relationship.

Check Your Understanding 2

Question (Version 1)

The number of circles in each term of the image sequence below is represented using the table.

Term Number Number of Circles

1 1

2 9

3 25

Is this a linear relationship?

Answer (Version 1)

No, this is not a linear relationship.

Feedback (Version 1)

The pattern does not show a linear relationship.

The number of circles (1, 9, and 25) does not

increase by the same amount for each term.
Since there is no constant increase, that means there is
not a linear relationship between the number of circles
and the term number.
Question (Version 2)

The number of squares in each term of the image sequence below is represented using the table.

Term Number Number of Squares

1 5

2 7

3 9

Is this a linear relationship?

Answer (Version 2)

Yes, this is a linear relationship.

Feedback (Version 2)

The pattern shows a linear relationship.

The number of squares (5, 7, and 9) increases by 2

for each term.
The constant increase means there is a linear
relationship between the number of squares and the
term number.

Equations of Linear Relationships

Pizza Cost Equation

We have learned how to recognize linear relationships in graphs and tables.

Now we will focus on recognizing linear relationships in equations.

A pizza store uses an equation to determine the cost of each pizza based on the
number of toppings.
Cost of Pizza = 2n + 8

In their equation, the letter n is a variable that represents the number of toppings
on the pizza.
Does this equation represent a linear relationship between the cost of a pizza and
the number of toppings?

Source: Pizza - vitalssss/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Solution

To help us determine if this equation represents a linear relationship, we can use the equation to create a table of values
for the number of toppings and the corresponding cost of the pizza.
Number of Toppings (n) Cost of Pizza ($)

If a customer orders a pizza with 1 topping, n equals 1, and the cost is 2 times 1 plus 8, which is $10.

Number of Toppings (n) Cost of Pizza ($)

1 2(1) + 8 = 10

For a pizza with 2 toppings, n would equal 2. And the cost is 2 times 2 plus 8, which is $12.

Number of Toppings (n) Cost of Pizza ($)

1 2(1) + 8 = 10

2 2(2) + 8 = 12

We can continue to fill out the table for pizzas with 3 and 4 toppings.

Number of Toppings (n) Cost of Pizza ($)

1 2(1) + 8 = 10

2 2(2) + 8 = 12

3 2(3) + 8 = 14

4 2(4) + 8 = 16

Now that we have a table of values, we can look for a linear relationship. Moving from a pizza with 1 topping that costs
$10 to 2 toppings that costs $12, the cost is increased by $2.
Moving from a pizza with 2 toppings that cost $12 to 3 toppings that cost $14, the cost is again increased by $2.

In fact, this pattern continues for the rest of the table. Moving from a pizza with 3 toppings that cost $14 to 4 toppings
that cost $16, the cost increased by $2.

For every additional topping, the cost of the pizza is increased by $2.

This constant increase produces a linear relationship between the cost of the pizza and the number of toppings.

Equations that Represent Linear Relationships

Let's take some time to explore what an equation of a linear relationship can look like.

I have listed some examples of equations that represent linear relationships using the variables x and y.

The following equations represent linear relationships:

 y = 4x + 6

y = x − 3.8

y = 50x

y = −68x − 79

x
y = + 10
2

I chose x and y because the x variable will represent the variable that we would put on the x -axis of a graph, and the y
variable will represent the variable that we would put on the y-axis of a graph.

There are many things that we can notice in these equations. Specifically, we can notice that these equations can
contain addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. We also notice that they can have lots of different numbers
including whole numbers, negative numbers, and decimal numbers.

Example 5

Let's look more closely at a new equation.

Does the equation, y = 6x − 4 , represent a linear relationship?

Solution

To check if an equation represents a linear relationship we can make a table of values. To make the table, we will use x -
values of 1, 2, 3, and 4.

x y

When x equals 1, y in our equation is equal to 6 times 1 minus 4, which is 2.

x y

1 6(1) − 4 = 2

When x equals 2, y in our equation is equal to 6 times 2 minus 4, which is 8.

 x y

1 6(1) − 4 = 2

2 6(2) − 4 = 8

Continuing with 3 and 4, we see that y is equal to 14 and 20 respectively.

x y

1 6(1) − 4 = 2

2 6(2) − 4 = 8

3 6(3) − 4 = 14

4 6(4) − 4 = 20

Now that we have a table of values for this equation, we can notice that when the x -value increased from 1 to 2, their
respective y-values 2 and 8, increased by 6.

When the x -value increased from 2 to 3, their respective y-values 8 and 14, again increased by 6.
In fact, this pattern continues for the rest of the table. When the x -value increased from 3 to 4, their respective y-values
14 and 20, again increased by 6.

For each increase of 1 in the x -value, the y-value always increases by 6.

This constant increase produces a linear relationship between the x and y variables.

Example 6

Try applying this strategy to the following equation.

Does the equation, y = x

2
, represent a linear relationship?
+ 10

Take a moment and try this problem on your own.

Solution

If you made a table with the x -values 1, 2, 3, and 4, your table may have looked like this.

x y

2
1 1 + 10 = 11

2
2 2 + 10 = 14

2
3 3 + 10 = 19

2
4 4 + 10 = 26
Now that we have a table of values for this equation, we can notice that when the x -value increased from 1 to 2, their
respective y-values 11 and 14, increased by 3.
When the x -value increased from 2 to 3, their respective y-values 14 and 19, increased by 5. And when the x -value
increased from 3 to 4, their respective y-values 19 and 26, increased by 7.

For each increase of 1 in the x -value, the y-value is increasing by different amounts.
This suggests that the equation does not represent a linear relationship, and the data points would not all lie on a straight
line.

Hmm, this is our first equation that did not represent a linear relationship. I wonder why that is.

Do you notice a difference between this equation and our linear examples?

Check Your Understanding 3

Question (Version 1)

Does the equation, y = 11x

2
+ 5 , represent a linear relationship? Make a table to help you answer this question.

Answer (Version 1)

No, the equation does not represent a linear relationship.

Feedback (Version 1)

x y For each increase of 1 in the x -value, the y-value does

2
1 11(1) + 6 = 16 not always increase by the same amount.
2
2 11(2) + 6 = 49
Since there is no constant increase, that means there is
2
3 11(3) + 6 = 104
not a linear relationship between the x and y variables.
2
4 11(4) + 6 = 181

Question (Version 2)

Does the equation, y = 9x + 3 , represent a linear relationship? Make a table to help you answer this question.

Answer (Version 2)

Yes, the equation does represent a linear relationship.

Feedback (Version 2)

x y For each increase of 1 in the x -value, the y-value

1 9(1) + 3 = 12 always increases by 9.
2 9(2) + 3 = 21
This constant increase means there is a linear
3 9(3) + 3 = 30
relationship between the x and y variables.
4 9(4) + 3 = 39

A General Linear Equation

To better communicate linear relationships, mathematicians will often write the equations in a standard format.
It turns out that every linear relationship can be expressed using an equation of the form y equals a number times x plus
another number.

y= x+

Here is a linear equation from earlier in this lesson.

y = 6x − 4

For this equation, the number in the first blank box is 6 and the number in the second blank box is −4 . When we add
−4 , it is the same as subtracting 4.

y= x+

In the general linear equation, instead of using blank boxes to represent the unknown numbers we often use the letter m
for the first blank box that multiplies with x and the letter b for the second blank box, which is the number that is added.

y= mx+ b

We can therefore say that every linear relationship can be expressed using an equation of the form y = mx + b .

y= mx+ b
You will see this equation more often as you progress in mathematics.

Take It With You

The following graph shows three lines, labeled A, B, and C, that each represent a relationship between the distance from
your house and the time that has passed.

1 Match each line on the graph to its situation and to the equation that best represents it.

Situations: Equations

Walking away from your house. d = 2t

Jogging away from your house. d = 4t

1
Running away from your house. d = t
2

2 Draw a general graph that could describe walking towards your house.

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