Graphs of Piecewise Linear Functions

Essential Question: What is a Graphing Story?

 

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graphingstories2_cut_part1

Describe the motion of the man in words. 

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Graphing Stories

T S.1 Example 1

  • How high do you think he was at the top of the stairs? How did you estimate that elevation?
  • Were there intervals of time when his elevation wasn’t changing? Was he still moving?
  • Did his elevation ever increase? When?

 

A.1.1.Exa1a

  • How should we label the vertical axis? What unit of measurement should we choose?
  • How should we label the horizontal axis? What unit of measurement should we choose?
  • Should we measure the man’s elevation to his feet or to his head on the graph?
  • The man starts at the top of the stairs. Where would that be located on the graph?
  • Show me with your hand what the general shape of the graph should look like.

S

 S.1 Example 1 

Work with your partner to draw the graph of the story

 


 

S

S.2 Example 2 (Partner Work)

A.1.1.Exa2

 

  • What is happening in the story when the graph is increasing, decreasing, constant over time?
  • What does it mean for one part of the graph to be steeper than another?
  • How does slope of each line segment relate to the context of the person’s elevation?
  • Is it possible for someone walking on a hill to produce this elevation versus time graph AND return to her starting point at the 10-minute mark? If it is, describe what the hill might look like.
  • What was the average rate of change of the person’s elevation between time 0 minutes and time 4 minutes?

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A.1.1.Summary

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S.3-4

graphingstories3

 

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A.1.1.Exit

 

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