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Slope illustrated for y = (3/2)x − 1.Click on to enlarge Slope of a line in coordinates system, from f(x) = −12x + 2 to f(x) = 12x + 2. The slope of a line in the plane containing the x and y axes is generally represented by the letter m, [5] and is defined as the change in the y coordinate divided by the corresponding change in the x coordinate, between two distinct points on the line.
The mean value theorem proves that this must be true: The slope between any two points on the graph of f must equal the slope of one of the tangent lines of f. All of those slopes are zero, so any line from one point on the graph to another point will also have slope zero.
A non-vertical line can be defined by its slope m, and its y-intercept y 0 (the y coordinate of its intersection with the y-axis). In this case, its linear equation can be written = +. If, moreover, the line is not horizontal, it can be defined by its slope and its x-intercept x 0. In this case, its equation can be written
A linear function () = + has a constant rate of change equal to its slope a, so its derivative is the constant function ′ =. The fundamental idea of differential calculus is that any smooth function f ( x ) {\displaystyle f(x)} (not necessarily linear) can be closely approximated near a given point x = c {\displaystyle x=c} by a unique linear ...
l = slope length α = angle of inclination. The grade (US) or gradient (UK) (also called stepth, slope, incline, mainfall, pitch or rise) of a physical feature, landform or constructed line is either the elevation angle of that surface to the horizontal or its tangent. It is a special case of the slope, where zero indicates horizontality. A ...
It can be expressed by numerous definitions, for example "0 for negative inputs, output equals input for non-negative inputs". The term "ramp" can also be used for other functions obtained by scaling and shifting , and the function in this article is the unit ramp function (slope 1, starting at 0).
In various areas of mathematics, the zero set of a function is the set of all its zeros. More precisely, if f : X → R {\displaystyle f:X\to \mathbb {R} } is a real-valued function (or, more generally, a function taking values in some additive group ), its zero set is f − 1 ( 0 ) {\displaystyle f^{-1}(0)} , the inverse image of { 0 ...
A constant function is also considered linear in this context, as it is a polynomial of degree zero or is the zero polynomial. Its graph, when there is only one variable, is a horizontal line. In this context, a function that is also a linear map (the other meaning) may be referred to as a homogeneous linear function or a linear form.