Logged out
Access All our Essays in an Instant
Swap your work for FREE access, or pay £4.99 for instant access
The Gradient Function Investigation
Member rating:
(8 votes)
| Words:
| Submitted: Thu Jul 11 2002
Page Preview
On the left is an image preview of every page of this document, and below are the first 150 words with formatting removed:
The Gradient Function Introduction Curves on a graph can be of varying steepnesses. This steepness also varies from point to point on many graphs. The steepness of a curve at a point is called its gradient. There are several methods for calculating the gradient at a certain point on a curve including the 'Tangent Method' and the 'Small Increments Method'. The Tangent Method Calculating the gradient of a straight line is simple. The formula is: Gradient = Change In Y Change In X This formula is demonstrated on Graph A. A curve proves more of a problem as the gradient is constantly changing. To calculate the gradient at a certain point, we must somehow be able to create a straight line from which to calculate this gradient. This can be achieved by drawing a tangent to the curve at the point in question. A tangent is a straight line which touches the curve at one point and one...
To see the full version of this document, and 145,345 others
