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GCSE

Rates of Change

Question

How do you find the rate of change?

2 years ago

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211 Replies

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V

Vickie Shanahan


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211 Answers

A
Archita Sinha

The rate of change on a line graph is called the gradient and is calculated by the change in y axis/ change in x axis. What this means is that you find 2 points on the line and find the difference between the y coordinates and divide that by the difference in x axis.

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if you are given a graph then draw a tangent as accurately as you can(doesn't matter if its perfect) and use change in y divided by change in x for your straight line to get the gradient which is the rate of change. just watch your units it will ber per second or per minute, something like that depending on the experiment

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George Asquith

The rate of change is how much one quantity changes per unit of another amount. Normally this is how much y changes for every set amount that x increases or decreases. This is the same as the gradient (in straight lines gradient is fixed and is shown as m in y=mx+c, in other graphs, the gradient changes). This can be calculated by having two points each with x and y coordinates. y1-y2 divded by x1-x2.

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Michail Lazos

The rate of change is difference of y divided by difference of x. In other words it is the derivative at a given point.

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A
Aishwarya Bandaru

The rate of change is also known as the gradient or slope.


Rate of change = (change in quantity 1) / (change in quantity 2)


Given 2 points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2), the rate of change between them is:

Δy / Δx = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1)

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Melisa

The rate of change = change in y over change in x , if you are given 2 coordinates e.g (2,0) (3,3) and you want to find the rate of change. You would simply do 3-0 / 3-1 which would give you 3/2. This will give you a gradient y=3/2x + c. To find c you would simply sub one of the coordinates back in to this equation.

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The rate of change of a function is its first derivative so if y=f(x) then the rate of change is given by dy/dx=f’(x).

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Pranava Koppula

Let's start by discussing what rate of change is: Rate of Change refers to how one variable changes with respect to another variable. In GCSE, it would most likely be change in y with respect to change in x.

In practical terms, think of how when you’re watching videos on your laptop and your battery drops gradually.

So, if you'd like to find the rate of change of battery percentage from 100% to 70% in 1 hour (where y = battery percentage and x = time)

(70% - 100%)/1 = -30% per hour

or

(70% - 100%)/60 = -0.5% per minute


The general formula would be "change in y /change in x" or "(final y - initial y)/ (final x - initial x)". Please let me know if you'd like any more clarification on this.

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B
Ben Mitchell

Take the variable that is changing over a period of time, making note of the first time point and second time point. Subtract this variable at the first time point from the variable at the second time point. Then, take this value and divide it by the difference in time between the two points to get the rate of change.

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N
Netsanet

Rate of change can be calculated by the amount of a specific quantity is changing by the time it took for the change to hapen. A common example in physics in speed which is simply rate of change of position(or distance). If a car changes its position by 20 miles in 30 minnutes then its average speed(or rate of change of position) is 20miles divided by 30min(or 0.5 hr) which is 40 miles per hr

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S
Sheraine Wong

Rate is defined as ‘per unit time’


The rate of change of a physical quantity is defined as the change of that physical quantity per unit time.


To find the rate of change, divide the rate of change of the physical quantity by the time interval.


On a graph of physical quantity against time, rate of change would be the gradient.

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J
Jess

The change in the y axis divided by the change in the x-axis

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The rate of change is given by the change in y over the change in x. It explains how the variable plotted on the y axis changes in respect to x. For example on a distance time graph the rate of change is given by the change in distance over time so therefore is speed.

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Z
Zigrawar Munir

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S
Srishti

The rate of change of a quantity is found using calculus, specifically by finding the derivative of the function that describes the quantity with respect to the variable of interest.

For a function y=f(x):

  • The rate of change of y with respect to x is given by the derivative dy/dx
  • This derivative represents how y changes as x changes.



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