Look at the graph below and determine whether the function's rate of change is constant or not: –5 –5 –5 –4 –4 –4 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 10 11 11 11 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 0 0 0

The graph does not represents a function.

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not? –5 –5 –5 –4 –4 –4 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 10 11 11 11 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 0 0 0

The graph does not represents a function

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 10 11 11 11 12 12 12 13 13 13 14 14 14 15 15 15 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 0 0 0 <path fill="none" stroke="#1565C0" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-miterlimit="10" stroke-opacity=".698" stroke-width="2.5" d="m72.94 884.168.751-7.27.752-7.16.752-7.047.752-6.937.752-6.828.752-6.72.752-6.612.752-6.507.752-6.4.752-6.298.752-6.193.752-6.091.752-5.99.752-5.89.752-5.79.752-5.691.752-5.594.752-5.498.752-5.401.752-5.307.751-5.213.752-5.12.752-5.029 1.504-9.784 1.504-9.426 1.504-9.077 1.504-8.734 1.504-8.398 1.504-8.068 1.504-7.746 1.504-7.431 1.504-7.122 1.503-6.82 1.504-6.523 1.504-6.234 1.504-5.952 1.504-5.674 1.504-5.404 1.504-5.14 3.008-9.511 3.007-8.526 3.008-7.587 3.008-6.693 3.008-5.844 3.008-5.039 6.015-7.827 3.008-2.87 3.008-2.225 3.008-1.62 3.008-1.05 3.007-.516 3.008-.017 3.008.447 3.008.88 6.016 2.931 6.015 4.292 6.016 5.426 6.015 6.347 6.016 7.07 6.016 7.609 6.015 7.976 6.016 8.187 6.016 8.253 6.015 8.187 6.016 8 6.015 7.707 6.016 7.313 6.016 6.836 6.015 6.282 6.016 5.662 6.015 4.987 6.016 4.265 6.016 3.507 6.015 2.718 6.016 1.91 6.016 1.09 6.015.263 6.016-.562 6.015-1.377 6.016-2.178 6.016-2.959 6.015-3.712 6.016-4.434 6.016-5.12 6.015-5.766 6.016-6.366 6.015-6.918 6.016-7.417 6.016-7.864 6.015-8.252 6.016-8.581 6.016-8.85 6.015-9.057 6.016-9.2 6.015-9.278 6.016-9.294 6.016-9.245 6.015-9.133 6.016-8.96 6.016-8.724 6.015-8.43 6.016-8.078 6.015-7.673 6.016-7.214 6.016-6.708 6.015-6.156 6.016-5.564 6.016-4.935 6.015-4.274 6.016-3.587 6.015-2.878 6.016-2.154 6.016-1.423 6.015-.687 6.016.042 6.016.76 6.015 1.456 6.016 2.125 6.015 2.757 6.016 3.342 6.016 3.873 6.015 4.338 6.016 4.728 6.016 5.032 6.015 5.239 6.016 5.339 6.015 5.319 6.016 5.167 6.016 4.871 6.015 4.419 6.016 3.796 6.016 2.99 6.015 1.985 3.008.55 3.008.219 3.008-.142 3.008-.532 3.007-.952 3.008-1.405 3.008-1.89 3.008-2.41 6.015-6.515 6.016-9.019 3.008-5.543 3.008-6.286 3.007-7.069 3.008-7.894 3.008-8.762 3.008-9.675 1.504-5.193 1.504-5.439 1.504-5.69 1.504-5.946 1.503-6.21 1.504-6.479 1.504-6.754 1.504-7.035 1.504-7.323 1.504-7.616 1.504-7.918 1.504-8.224 1.504-8.537 1.504-8.858 1.503-9.185 1.504-9.518 1.504-9.859.752-5.06.752-5.146.752-5.236.752-5.325.752-5.416.752-5.507.752-5.6.752-5.692.752-5.786.752-5.881.752-5.977.752-6.074.752-6.172.752-6.27.752-6.37.752-6.471.751-6.572.752-6.675.752-6.778.752-6.882.752-6.988.752-7.094.752-7.2.752-7.31.752-7.42.752-7.529.752-7.64.752-7.753.752-7.866.752-7.98.752-8.096.752-8.213.752-8.33.752-8.447.752-8.568.752-8.688.752-8.81.751-8.932.752-9.056.752-9.18.752-9.308.752-9.433.752-9.562.752-9.69.752-9.822.752-9.952.376-5.026.376-5.059.376-5.092" paint-order="fill stroke markers">

The graph does not represents a function

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 0 0 0

The graph does not represents a function

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 10 11 11 11 12 12 12 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 0 0 0

The graph does not represents a function

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 0 0 0

The graph does not represents a function

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not –6 –6 –6 –5 –5 –5 –4 –4 –4 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 0 0 0

The graph does not represents a function

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 10 11 11 11 12 12 12 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 0 0 0

The graph does not represents a function

Given the following graph, determine whether function is constant –9 –9 –9 –8 –8 –8 –7 –7 –7 –6 –6 –6 –5 –5 –5 –4 –4 –4 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 –4 –4 –4 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 0 0 0

The graph does not represents a function

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not? –8 –8 –8 –7 –7 –7 –6 –6 –6 –5 –5 –5 –4 –4 –4 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 0 0 0

The graph does not represent a function

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not –5 –5 –5 –4 –4 –4 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 10 11 11 11 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 0 0 0

The graph does not represents a function

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not –5 –5 –5 –4 –4 –4 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 10 11 11 11 –3 –3 –3 –2 –2 –2 –1 –1 –1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 0 0 0

The graph does not represents a function

Variable Rate of Change

Variable Rate of Change

The meaning of a variable rate of change of a function can be seen when the variables $X$ change in fixed proportions and the $Y$ change unevenly.

A variable rate of change is represented by a line that is not straight, as seen in the following diagram:

B3 - Function with inconsistent rate of change

Detailed explanation

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Test yourself on variation of a function!

Look at the graph below and determine whether the function's rate of change is constant or not:

Practice more now

How can the variable rate of change of a function be identified?

For example, if the constant interval of the $X$ is $2$ and that of the $Y$ is not constant and varies from time to time.
An inconsistent interval could be:
$1,3,7,13$
If the function is not represented with a straight graph, it means that the rate of change is not constant.
Each part of the function will have a different rate of change, a different slope.

Graph of the Variable Rate of Change

Graph of the inconsistent rate of change

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Test your knowledge

Question 1

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not?

Question 2

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not

Question 3

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not

Table of the Variable Rate of Change

Table representation of a function with a non-constant rate of change

Graph of the stepwise non-constant rate of change

image1 Graph of the non-constant rate of change with steps

If you are interested in this article, you might also be interested in the following articles:

Rate of change of a function

Rate of change of a function represented graphically

Rate of change of a function represented by a table of values

Constant rate of change

Rate of change represented with steps in the function's graph

In the blog of Tutorela you will find a variety of articles with interesting explanations about mathematics

Examples and exercises with solutions of variable rate of change

Exercise #1

Look at the graph below and determine whether the function's rate of change is constant or not:

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

First we need to remember that if the function is not a straight line, its rate of change is not constant.

The rate of change is not uniform since the function is not a straight line.

Answer

Not constant

Exercise #2

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not?

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

Let's remember that if the function is not a straight line, its rate of change is not uniform.

Since the graph is not a straight line - the rate of change is not uniform.

Answer

Non-uniform

Exercise #3

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

Let's remember that if the function is not a straight line, its rate of change is not uniform.

Since the graph is not a straight line - the rate of change is not uniform.

Answer

Non-uniform

Exercise #4

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine if the rate of change in the given graph is uniform, we need to analyze the graph and check if it is a straight line.

Step 1: Check for linearity - The most direct way to determine if the graph has a uniform rate of change is by inspecting it for linearity, which means the graph forms a straight line.

Step 2: Analyze the path - The given SVG code and description imply a straight diagonal line, suggesting a constant slope.

For a linear function, the slope $m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}$ is constant throughout. As the graph is described as a straight line, any change in $x$ results in a proportional change in $y$ , confirming the slope does not vary.

Consequently, the graph displays a uniform rate of change. Therefore, the solution to this problem is uniform.

Answer

Uniform

Exercise #5

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, let's analyze the graph of the line:

Step 1: Identify two points on the line. For simplicity, let's choose the intercept at $x = 1$ and $y = 3$ , and another at $x = 6$ and $y = 0$ (assuming these are easily readable points).
Step 2: Calculate the slope using the formula $\frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}$ .
Step 3: Substituting in our chosen points, the slope is $\frac{0 - 3}{6 - 1} = \frac{-3}{5}$ .
Step 4: Since the graph is a straight line and the slope is constant, the rate of change is uniform.

Therefore, the graph shows a constant or uniform rate of change.

The solution to the problem is thus Uniform.

Since the correct answer is shown in the multiple-choice option "Uniform", we conclude it matches the analysis result.

Answer

Uniform

Do you know what the answer is?

Question 1

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not

Question 2

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not

Question 3

Given the following graph, determine whether the rate of change is uniform or not

Start practice

Variable Rate of Change

Test yourself on variation of a function!

How can the variable rate of change of a function be identified?

Graph of the Variable Rate of Change

Table of the Variable Rate of Change

Graph of the stepwise non-constant rate of change

Examples and exercises with solutions of variable rate of change

Exercise #1

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

Exercise #2

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

Exercise #3

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

Exercise #4

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

Exercise #5

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

More Questions

Variation of a Function