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Study Guides > Intermediate Algebra

Read: Model an Application With a Linear Function

Learning Objectives

  • Define initial value
  • Write a linear function given an initial value and a rate of change
  • Write a linear function given data in a table

In the real world, problems are not always explicitly stated in terms of a function or represented with a graph. Fortunately, we can analyze the problem by first representing it as a linear function and then interpreting the components of the function. As long as we know, or can figure out, the initial value and the rate of change of a linear function, we can solve many different kinds of real-world problems.

Given a linear function f and the initial value and rate of change, evaluate f(c).

  1. Determine the initial value and the rate of change (slope).
  2. Substitute the values into f(x)=mx+bf\left(x\right)=mx+b.
  3. Evaluate the function at x=cx=c.
Initial value is a term that is typically used in applications of functions.  It can be represented as the starting point of the relationship we are describing with a function. In the case of linear functions, the initial value is typically the y-intercept. Here are some characteristics of initial value:
  • The point (0,y)(0,y) is often the initial value of a linear function
  • The y value of the initial value comes from b in the slope intercept form of a linear function, f(x)=mx+bf\left(x\right)=mx+b
  • The initial value can be found by solving for b, or substituting 00 for x in a linear function.
In our first example, we are given a scenario where Marcus wants to increase the number of songs in his music collection by a fixed amount each month. This is a perfect candidate for a linear function because the increase in the number of songs stays the same each month. We will identify the initial value for the music collection, and write an equation that represents the number of songs in the collection for any number of months, t.

Example

Marcus currently has 200200 songs in his music collection. Every month, he adds 1515 new songs. Write a formula for the number of songs, N, in his collection as a function of time, t, the number of months. How many songs will he own in a year?

Answer:

The initial value for this function is 200200 because he currently owns 200200 songs, so N(0) = 200200, which means that b =200200.

Figure 12

The number of songs increases by 1515 songs per month, so the rate of change is 1515 songs per month. Therefore we know that m1515. We can substitute the initial value and the rate of change into the slope-intercept form of a line.

We can write the formula N(t)=15t+200N\left(t\right)=15t+200.

With this formula, we can then predict how many songs Marcus will have in 11 year (12months)\left(12 \text{months}\right). In other words, we can evaluate the function at t=12 t = 12 .

\begin{array}N\left(12\right)=15\left(12\right)+200\hfill \\ \text{ }=180+200\hfill \\ \text{ }=380\hfill \end{array}

Marcus will have 380380 songs in 1212 months.

Analysis of the Solution

Notice that N is an increasing linear function. As the input (the number of months) increases, the output (number of songs) increases as well.

In our next example, we will show that you can write the equation for a linear function given two data points.  In this case, Ilya's weekly income depends on the number of insurance policies he sells.  We are given his income for two different weeks and the number of policies sold.  We first find the rate of change and then solve for the initial value.

Example

Working as an insurance salesperson, Ilya earns a base salary plus a commission on each new policy. Therefore, Ilya’s weekly income, I, depends on the number of new policies, n, he sells during the week. Last week he sold 33 new policies, and earned $760 for the week. The week before, he sold 55 new policies and earned $920. Find an equation for I(n), and interpret the meaning of the components of the equation.

Answer:

The given information gives us two input-output pairs: (3,760)(3, 760) and (5,920)(5, 920). We start by finding the rate of change.

\begin{array}m=\dfrac{920 - 760}{5 - 3}\hfill \\ \text{ }=\dfrac{$160}{\text{2 policies}}\hfill \\ \text{ }=$80\text{ per policy}\hfill \end{array}
 

Keeping track of units can help us interpret this quantity. Income increased by $160 when the number of policies increased by 22, so the rate of change is $80 per policy. Therefore, Ilya earns a commission of $80 for each policy sold during the week.

We can then solve for the initial value.

\begin{array}\text{ }I\left(n\right)=80n+b\hfill & \hfill \\ \text{ }760=80\left(3\right)+b\hfill & \text{when }n=3, I\left(3\right)=760\hfill \\ 760 - 80\left(3\right)=b\hfill & \hfill \\ \text{ }520=b\hfill & \hfill \end{array}
 

The value of b is the starting value for the function and represents Ilya’s income when  <em>n</em>=0<em>n</em> = 0, or when no new policies are sold. We can interpret this as Ilya’s base salary for the week, which does not depend upon the number of policies sold.

We can now write the final equation.

I(n)=80n+520I\left(n\right)=80n+520
 

Our final interpretation is that Ilya’s base salary is $520 per week and he earns an additional $80 commission for each policy sold.

Analysis of the Solution

We used units to help us verify that we were calculating the rate correctly. It makes sense to speak in terms of the price per policy. To calculate the initial value, we solved for b by substituting values from one of the points we were given for n and I. In the following video example we show how to identify the initial value, slope and equation for a linear function. https://youtu.be/JMQSdRFJ1S4 We will show one more example of how to write a linear function that represents the monthly cost to run a company given monthly fixed costs and production costs per item.

Example

Suppose Ben starts a company in which he incurs a fixed cost of $1,250 per month for the overhead, which includes his office rent. His production costs are $37.50 per item. Write a linear function where C(x) is the cost for x items produced in a given month.

Answer: The fixed cost is present every month, $1,250. The costs that can vary include the cost to produce each item, which is $37.50 for Ben. The variable cost, called the marginal cost, is represented by 37.537.5. The cost Ben incurs is the sum of these two costs, represented by C(x)=1250+37.5xC\left(x\right)=1250+37.5x.

Analysis of the Solution

It is important to note that we are writing a function based on monthly costs, so the initial cost will be $1,250 becuase Ben has to pay that amount monthly for rent. If Ben produces 100100 items in a month, his monthly cost is represented by

\begin{array}C\left(100\right)=1250+37.5\left(100\right)\hfill\text{ } \\ =5000\hfill \end{array}

So his monthly cost would be $5,000.

The following video example show how to write a linear function that represents how many miles you can travel in a rental car for a fixed amount. https://youtu.be/H8KR3w2nXqs
In the next example we will take data that is in tabular (table) form to write an equation that describes the rate of change in the numbers of a rat population.

Example

The table below relates the number of rats in a population to time, in weeks. Use the table to write a linear equation.

w, number of weeks 00 22 44 66
P(w), number of rats 10001000 10801080 11601160 12401240

Answer:

We can see from the table that the initial value for the number of rats is 10001000, so b =10001000.

Rather than solving for m, we can tell from looking at the table that the population increases by 8080 for every 22 weeks that pass. This means that the rate of change is 8080 rats per 22 weeks, which can be simplified to 4040 rats per week.

P(w)=40w+1000P\left(w\right)=40w+1000

If we did not notice the rate of change from the table we could still solve for the slope using any two points from the table. For example, using (2,1080)(2, 1080) and (6,1240)(6, 1240)

\begin{array}m=\dfrac{1240 - 1080}{6 - 2}\hfill \\ \text{ }=\dfrac{160}{4}\hfill \\ \text{ }=40\hfill \end{array}

Think About It

Is the initial value always provided in a table of values like the table in the previous example? Write your ideas in the textbox below before you look at the answer. If your answer is no, give a description of how you would find the initial value. [practice-area rows="2"][/practice-area]

Answer: No. Sometimes the initial value is provided in a table of values, but sometimes it is not. If you see an input of 00, then the initial value would be the corresponding output. If the initial value is not provided because there is no value of input on the table equal to  00, find the slope, substitute one coordinate pair and the slope into f(x)=mx+bf\left(x\right)=mx+b, and solve for b.

 Summary

  • Sometimes we are given an initial value, and sometimes we have to solve for it
  • Using units can help you verify that you have calculated slope correctly
  • We can write the equation for a line given a slope and a data point, or from a table of data

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