MATH 8 Quarter 2 Week 5

PROBLEMS INVOLVING LINEAR FUNCTIONS

Example 1:
You own a newly-born German shepherd. Suppose the dog weighs 1 kg at birth. You’ve known from your friend that
the monthly average weight gained by the dog is 5 kg. If the rate of increase of dog’s weight every month is constant,
determine an equation that will describe the dog’s weight. Find the dog’s weight after five months and find the equation.
Step 1: Identify the independent variable (x) and dependent variable (y).
Independent Variable (x) = number of months
Dependent Variable (y) = dog’s weight
Step 2: Write in table of values and complete it.
x (number of months) 0 1 2 3 4 5
y (dog’s weight) 1 6 11 16 21 26
Step 3: Identify the slope m, y-intercept b to form the equation y = mx +b.

To find slope m:
Change in y means the difference of the two values in y.
6–1=5 11 – 6 = 5 16 – 11 = 5 21 – 16 = 5 26 – 21 = 5
So, change in y is 5.
Change in x means the difference of the two values in x.
1–0=1 2–1=1 3–2=1 4–3=1 5–4=1
So, change in x is 1.

To find y-intercept b means x = 0. Looking at the table there’s (0,1). Therefore y-intercept b is 1.
Substituting the value of m and b to the equation y = mx + b gives y = 5x + 1.
Change it to function notation form and it will be f(x) = 5x + 1.

Example 2:
Emman often rides a taxi from one place to another. The standard fare in riding a taxi is Php 40 as a flag down rate
plus P5 for every 200 meters or a fraction of it. How much will he pay if he travels 800 meters? Determine the equation.
Step 1: Identify the independent variable (x) and dependent variable (y).
Independent Variable (x) = distance
Dependent Variable (y) = amount
Step 2: Write in table of values and complete it.
x (distance in meters) 0 200 400 600 800
y (amount in PhP) 40 45 50 55 60
Step 3: Identify the slope m, y-intercept b to form the equation y = mx +b.
Change in y is 5 and change of x is 200. Therefore, slope is 5/200 or 1/40.
To find y-intercept b means x = 0. Looking at the table there’s (0,40). Therefore y-intercept b is 40.
Substituting the value of m and b to the equation y = mx + b gives y = 1/40 x + 40.
Change it to function notation form and it will be f(x) = 1/40 x + 40.

Answer the following problems. Apply the steps in solving.

1. A pay phone service charges Php 5 for the first 3 minutes and Php 1 for every minute additional or a fraction
thereof. How much will a caller have to pay if his call lasts for 6 minutes? Determine the equation.
2. You have a newly-born baby brother. Suppose the baby weights 3kg at birth. You’ve known from your mother that
the monthly average weight gained by the baby is 1kg. Suppose the rate of increase in the baby’s weight every month
is constant, determine an equation that will describe the baby’s weight. Find the baby’s weight after 5 months.
3. Ryann often rides a taxi from one place to another. The standard fare in riding a taxi is Php 50 as a flag-down rate
plus Php 8 for every 100 meters or a fraction of it. How much will it cost him if he travels 400 meters? Find the
equation.
4. It has been observed that a particular plant's growth is directly proportional to time. It measured 2 cm when it
arrived at the nursery and 2.5 cm exactly one week later. If the plant continues to grow at this rate, how long will the
plant be after 5 weeks? Write the equation.