Calculus for Business,

Economics, the Social

and Life Sciences

Lines and
Linear
Functions
Section 1.3
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 Learning Objectives
 Review properties of lines: slope,
horizontal and vertical lines, and forms for
the equation of a line
 Solve applied problems involving linear
functions
 Study parallel and perpendicular lines
 Explore a least-squares linear
approximation of data
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 Lines and Slope
The slope between two points ( x1 , y1 ) and
( x2 , yis y  y
2 ),defined to be
2 1
.
x2  x1

A line is a graph for which the slope is

constant given any two points on the line.
An equation that can be written
y  mx  b for constants m (the
slope) and b has a line as its graph.

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 Quick example:
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The equation y  x  3 defines a line
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3
with slope equal to and whose graph in
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the plane looks like

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y x3
4

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EXAMPLE 1 Finding the Equation of a Line

Find the equation of the line containing the

points (1,4) and ( 5,8) .

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EXAMPLE 1 Finding the Equation of a Line

SOLUTION

The equation of the line can be written as

so we need to find the value of
constants m and b.
The slope between points
(1,4) and ( 5,8) is

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 EXAMPLE 1 Finding the Equation of a Line

SOLUTION

Now we know so now we find the value of b by employing one of the points
(which one is irrelevant). Let’s use

The equation of the line is

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 The Point-Slope Formula

Given a slope m and a point on the

graph of a line, we can write its equation

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EXAMPLE 2 A Linear Function of Temperature

The number of active mosquitos in a small area

decreases by 6 for every 1°F drop in
temperature. At a temperature of 40°F, there
are 50 active mosquitos.

Write an equation for the number of active

mosquitos as a linear function of temperature.

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EXAMPLE 2 A Linear Function of Temperature

SOLUTION

The claim that active mosquitos decrease “by 6 for

every 1°F drop in temperature” is an indication of
slope: Each 1 unit decrease in input causes a 6 unit
decrease in output. In other words,

The phrase “at a temperature of 40°F, there are 50

active mosquitos” implies the point is on the
line. (Note that temperature is the input)
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EXAMPLE 2 A Linear Function of Temperature

SOLUTION

Now we use the point-slope formula to find the

equation of the line:

Or written in function notation:

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 Vertical and Horizontal Lines
A horizontal line has equation for
some constant c.

A vertical line has equation for some

constant c.

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 Quick example:
The graphs of lines and are
given below

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 Parallel and Perpendicular
Lines
Two non-vertical lines in a plane are…

… parallel when their slopes are equal.

… perpendicular when the product of their
slopes is equal to -1.

Note: all vertical lines are parallel, while a vertical

and a horizontal line are always perpendicular.

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EXAMPLE 3 Finding a Perpendicular Line

Consider the line defined by

a. Is the line parallel to the line given

above?

b. Find the equation of the line that contains

and is perpendicular to the one given.

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EXAMPLE 3 Finding a Perpendicular Line

a. Is the line parallel to the line given

above?
SOLUTION
First we rewrite in the form

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EXAMPLE 3 Finding a Perpendicular Line

a. Is the line parallel to the line given

above?
SOLUTION

The slope of this line is while the slope of

the given line is As these slopes are
unequal, the lines are not parallel.

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EXAMPLE 3 Finding a Perpendicular Line

b. Find the equation of the line that contains

and is perpendicular to the one given.
SOLUTION

We found that the line defined by

has slope equal to A perpendicular line has a
slope m such that by the definition of
perpendicular lines.
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EXAMPLE 3 Finding a Perpendicular Line

b. Find the equation of the line that contains

and is perpendicular to the one given.
SOLUTION

Solving we get Using the

point-slope formula with point we get

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