C1: Co-ordinate geometry
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Equation of a line
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A lot of mathematics involves being able to describe things exactly and equations are very powerful (Click this link for an interesting article and video about equations).
You will have studied straight line graphs at G.C.S.E. You almost certainly used the equation y = mx + c where m is the gradient and c is the value of y when x = 0 (the "y-intercept").
This topic shows how you to work out the equation of a line when the x value you know is not equal to 0. Or when you don't know the gradient but you know two points that the graph goes through.
This work will be used throughout the course and will become very important when we start Calculus. We will be able to answer questions like "What is the equation of the tangent to the curve y = x squared at (3,9)"?
You will have studied straight line graphs at G.C.S.E. You almost certainly used the equation y = mx + c where m is the gradient and c is the value of y when x = 0 (the "y-intercept").
This topic shows how you to work out the equation of a line when the x value you know is not equal to 0. Or when you don't know the gradient but you know two points that the graph goes through.
This work will be used throughout the course and will become very important when we start Calculus. We will be able to answer questions like "What is the equation of the tangent to the curve y = x squared at (3,9)"?
