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LEARNING AS ONE NATION SY 2020-2021

Expanded Project Calculus_LAS 2

SHS LEARNING ACTIVITY

Name: Score/Mark:
Grade and Section: Date:
Strand:  STEM  ABM  HUMSS  ICT (TVL Track)
Subject:
Type of Activity:  Concept Notes  Skills: Exercise/Drill  Illustration
 Performance Task  Essay/Report  Others:
Activity Title: Rate of Change
Learning Target: To express rate of change in mathematical notation
References: Feliciano & Uy, Differential and Integral Calculus, p. 26-30;
(Author, Title, Pages) J.E.A. Mangyao and M. V. Bernido, CVIF Learning Activities

Consider the function given by 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥). Let this be a continuous function

of 𝑥 in some interval containing 𝑥. From the previous learning activity, we recall
that a change in the function is given by,
∆𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥 + ∆𝑥) − 𝑓(𝑥).

We can ask the question, how fast or how slow does 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥) change as 𝑥
changes? If we divide the whole equation by the change ∆𝑥, we obtain,

∆𝑦 𝑓(𝑥+∆𝑥) − 𝑓(𝑥)
= .
∆𝑥 ∆𝑥

∆𝑦
We note that the ratio is the difference of the function values divided
∆𝑥

by the difference of the x-values. Thus this ratio denotes the average rate of
∆𝑦
change of 𝑓(𝑥) in the interval between 𝑥 and (𝑥 + ∆𝑥). That is, is a measure
∆𝑥

of the rate at which 𝑦 is changing with respect to 𝑥 for the interval ∆𝑥. The

ratio tells us how fast or how slow the function changes for that interval.

Exercises:
1. Recall from your Mathematics 8 lessons the equation for the slope of a
straight line. Write the slope in terms of increments.
(Hint: 𝑎2 − 𝑎1 = ∆𝑎).
2. On graph paper, plot these straight lines of different slopes using
different colors:
a) 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥
b) 𝑔(𝑥) = 4𝑥
c) 𝑣(𝑥) = −3𝑥
What can you say about the rate of change of a function?
3. Suppose you compute the slope of a line from different pairs of points
along a line. Will you get different answers?