Math 1 · Unit 3 · Lesson 3 · part 1 of 9
The Words We Use
The vocabulary for this lesson, in one place.
Words we use
| Word | Plain English | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Family of graphs (family of curves) | A group of graphs with the same form, differing only in their numbers. | Name the family first. All straight lines are the family y = mx + b. |
| Member | One graph in the family, picked out by its own numbers. | y = 2x − 3 is one member of the line family. |
| Parameter | A number like m or b that picks out one member. | Find the parameters, then say what each one does. |
| Change b: slide | The line moves straight up or down. Same steepness. | Lines with the same m and different b are parallel. |
| Change m: tilt | The line turns around its y-intercept. Bigger is steeper, negative falls, 0 is flat. | Same b, different m: same starting point, different tilt. |
| Parallel | Lines with the same slope. They never meet. | Same m means parallel. More in Unit 4. |
| Exponential family, quadratic family | Later families: curves that multiply, and U-shaped curves. Each has its own form and numbers. | Ask the same questions: what family, what do the numbers do? |