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TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN FORM 4

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Table of Content No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Introduction The concept of equation of straight lines Lesson Plan:- Equation of Straight Line The Misconceptions and Strategies of teaching Linear Equation or Equation of Straight Line Conclusion Worksheet Reference Subject Page 3 5 12 17 19 20 22

1.0

Introduction

The title of this assignment is the equations of straight lines which is under the topic of The Straight Line in fifth Chapter of Form 4 Mathematics syllabus. The notion of line or straight line was introduced by the ancient mathematicians to represent straight objects with negligible width and depth. Lines are an idealization of such objects. Thus, until seventeenth century, lines were defined like this: "The line is the first species of quantity, which has only one dimension, namely length, without any width nor depth, and is nothing else than the flow or run of the point which will leave from its imaginary moving some vestige in length, exempt of any width. The straight line is that which is equally extended between its points. The equation of straight line is also known as a linear equation which is an algebraic equation in which each term is either a constant or the product of a constant and (the first power of) a single variable. Linear equations can have one or more variables. Linear equations occur with great regularity in applied mathematics. While they arise quite naturally when modeling many phenomena, they are particularly useful since many non-linear equations may be reduced to linear equations by assuming that quantities of interest vary to only a small extent from some "background" state. The equation of a straight line is usually written this way: y = mx + b or y = mx + c

Slope (or Gradient)

Y Intercept

Briefly I can conclude that :y = how far up x = how far along m = Slope or Gradient (how steep the line is) b = the Y Intercept (where the line crosses the Y axis) How do you find "m" and "b"? (a) b is easy: just see where the line crosses the Y axis. (b) To find m (the Slope) there are some calculation need to be done:

Change in Y m = Change in X

Example 1

2 m = 1 = 2

b = 1 (where the line crosses the Y-Axis) Therefore y = 2x + 1 2.0 The concept of equation of straight line These equations can take various forms depending on the facts we know about the lines. So to start, suppose we have a straight line containing the points in the following list.

There are many more

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points on the line,

but we have enough now to see a

pattern. If we take any x value and add 2, we get

the corresponding y value: 0 + 2 = 2, 1 + 2 = 3, 2 + 2 = 4, and so on. There is a fixed relationship between the x and y co-ordinates of any point on the line, and the equation y = x + 2 is always true for points on the line. We can label the line using this equation. 2.1 The equation of a line through the origin with a given gradient Suppose we have a line with equation y = x. Then for every point on the line, the y coordinate must be equal to the x co-ordinate. So the line will contain points in the following list.

We can find the gradient of the line using the formula for gradients,

and substituting in the first two sets of values from the table. We get

so that the gradient of this line is 1. What about the equation y = 2x? This also represents a straight line, and for all the points on the line each y value is twice the corresponding x value. So the line will contain points in the following list.

If we calculate the gradient of the line y = 2x using the first two sets of values in the table, we obtain

so that the gradient of this line is 2. Now take the equation y = 3x. This also represents a straight line, and for all the points on the line each y value is three times the corresponding x value. So the line will contain points in the following list.

We can start to see a pattern here. All these lines have equations where y equals some number times x. And in each case the line passes through the origin, and the gradient of the line is given by the number multiplying x. So if we had a line with equation y = 13x then we would expect the gradient of the line to be 13. Similarly, if we had a line with equation y = 2x then the gradient would be 2. In general, therefore, the equation y = mx represents a straight line passing through the origin with gradient m. 2.2 The y-intercept of a line

Consider the straight line with equation y = 2x+1. This equation is in a slightly different form from those we have seen earlier. To draw a sketch of the line, we must calculate some values.

Notice that when x = 0 the value of y is 1. So this line cuts the y-axis at y = 1. The general equation of a straight line is y = mx + c, where m is the gradient, and y = c is the value where the line cuts the y-axis. This number c is called the intercept on the y-axis.
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2.3

The equation of a straight line through two given Points

What should we do if we want to find the equation of a straight line which passes through the two points (1, 2) and (2, 4)? Here we dont know the gradient of the line, so it seems as though we cannot use any of the formula we have found so far. But we do know two points on the line, and so we can use them to work out the gradient. We just use the formula m = (y2 y1)/(x2 x1). We get

So the gradient of the line is 2/3 . And we know two points on the line, so we can use one of them in the formula y y1 = m(x x1). If we take the point (2, 4) we get

As before, it will be useful to find a general formula that can be used for examples of this kind. So suppose the general line passes through two points A(x1, y1) and B(x2, y2). We shall let a general point on the line be P(x, y).

Now we know that the gradient of AP must be the same as the gradient of AB, as all three points are on the same line. But the gradient of AP is

Now this formula is fairly complicated, but it is easier to remember if all the terms involving y are on one side, and all the terms involving x are on the other. If we manipulate the formula, we get first

It might help you to remember this formula if you notice that the pattern on the left-hand side, involving y, is just the same as the pattern on the right-hand side, involving x.

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Now we can use this formula for an example. Suppose that we want to find the equation of the straight line which passes through the two points (1,2) and (3, 0). We just substitute into the formula, and rearrange. The various steps are

2.4

The most general equation of a straight line

There is one more form of the equation for a straight line that is sometimes needed. This is the equation ax + by + c = 0 . We have written equations in this form for some of our examples. We can see some special cases of this equation by setting either a or b equal to zero. If a = 0 then we obtain lines with general equation by + c = 0, i.e. y = c / b . These lines are horizontal, so that they are parallel to the x-axis. If b = 0 then we obtain lines with general equation ax + c = 0, i.e. x = c/a . These lines are vertical, so that they are parallel to the y-axis. The equation of a vertical line cannot be written in the form y = mx+c. The equation ax+by+c = 0 is the most general equation for a straight line, and can be used where other forms of equation are not suitable.

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3.0

Lesson Plan:- Equation of Straight Line

Subject: Mathematics Year/class: Form 4 Delima Date: 1 June 2011 Lesson: Graphing Linear Equations Introduction to the Lesson:

Topic: Equation of straight lines No. Pupils: 28 Period :- 1 hour (Double period)

Students will learn to graph, analyze, and solve systems of equations by using slope- intercept, standard, and point- slope forms of equations. Students will learn how to find 1 solution, no unique solution, or no solution by graphing system of equations. Emphasis will be on graphing systems of equations. Students graph linear equations and inequalities in two variables. They write equations of lines and find and use the slope and yintercept of lines. They use linear equations to model real data. Activity 1 :- Graph a linear equation. Example: Graph the equation 3x y = 2. Activity 2 :- Find the slope, x-intercept, and y-intercept of a line given its graph, its equation, or two points on the line. Example: Find the slope and yintercept of the line 4x + 6y = 12.
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Teaching Resources: Interactive powerpint slides, graph paper, scientifi calculator, paper, ruler, pencils etc. The teacher should have one of the following: 1. An overhead projector with a graph transparency (Attached as Appendix A) 2. A handout of various graphs (Attached as Appendix B) or, Lesson Plan 1 3. A blackboard prepared with a graph diagram as shown in Appendix A. The preferred methods are numbers 1 or 3, above, because they allow flexibility in presenting the materials. If a graphical handout is used, then the students will be asked to record the images presented on their handouts, which can be collected and reviewed for completion. Context: Algebra: Functions and graphs Teaching Objectives: To be able to understand equations in the form y= mx + c. The students in the class will provide the correct single term linear equation, given a graphical representation of the equation, with 100% accuracy. 1. All students in the class, given a graph of a vertical or horizontal line will provide the equation of the line with 75% accuracy, by correctly providing the answer for 3 out of 4 assigned problems. 2. All students in the class, given a graph of a linear equation with a one to one correspondence between the x-term and the y-terms will provide the equation of the line with 75% accuracy, by correctly providing the answer for 3 out of 4 assigned problems. 3. All students in the class, given a linear equation with either x or y assigned a constant value will graph the associated line with 75% accuracy by correctly providing the graph for 3 out of 4 assigned problems. Learning Outcomes: All students will be able to draw a straight line given an equation in the form
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y= mx + c. Most will be able to find the gradient and constant from a line. Some will be able to find the perpendicular to a line. Set Induction The key to making this lesson engaging is to allow all students to have initial success in recognizing graphs of linear functions. Have the students review the information that they have already learned with regard to linear equations and graphical representations. Explain to the students that over the last few weeks, we have been studying graphs and their properties, as well as solving equations involving two variables. Now we will be able to put those two concepts together, and see exactly what our equations look like on a graph.

Step by Step Plan: Remind the students that linear equations take the following forms: Y = nX + m For examples, the following equations should be put on the blackboard: Y = 2X + 3 Y = 4X 2 X = Y 4 X = 3Y + 1 Ask the students for examples of linear equations and have the students put them on the board. (Blooms taxonomy Knowledge, Comprehension and also Application, in cases where the students are able to provide examples such as Y = 0 or Y = X + , which would incorporate cases where n is 0 (zero) or n or m are fractional values.) If the students were unable to create these equations, it would indicate a fundamental problem with the Knowledge level of Blooms, and upon reflection the lesson may be reassessed with more of a focus on a review of the material that the students should already know at this point in their education. The students shall turn to the topic of graphical representations. The immediately preceding topic of study in this course was graphics, so this should still be fresh in the students memories. Nonetheless, the students will by presented with blank
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graphs, as contained in Appendix A, and they should review the parts of the graph, including the XAxis, the YAxis, Quadrants, the Origin and how points are plotted. Plot (2, 3), (2,4), (1,1) and (2, 1) so that all quadrants will have a distinct representative point for reference. This information will be left up on the side of the blackboard, so that as the students progress through the lesson they will have the information available for reference. If there are times when it is evident that the students have problems recollecting the correct quadrant(s) for a particular graphing, they will be returned to the point plotting graph as a reference. Have the students assist in combining equations with a graphical element. (Gardners Logical Mathematical, Spatial). The students have all of the information that they need at this time to fill in the information on the graphs in Appendix B, however, scaffolding should be used in order to have them understand what they are capable of. Accordingly, the following questioning should be used with the first graphical representation:-

If Y equals 1, on the graph, what does X equal? plot (1, 2) on the graph. Continue: If Y equals 2, on the graph, what does X equal? (Answer is again 2) In fact, for all values of Y, X equals 2 So what is our linear equation? This progression will be repeated for each of the next three graphs, which all represent single term linear equations. The equations are, respectively, Y = 2, X = 2 and Y = 2.
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The students will then be shown the next four graphs, which represent Y =X, Y = X, Y = X + 2 and Y = X 2, respectively. The same scaffolding approach will be used in the questioning, so that the students will relate Y in terms of the X coordinates. Individual Work

Individual work, monitored, helped. Task will be appeared on OHP. Teacher gives 5 minutes, then stops the work, draws a grid on graph paper with the graph for students to check Feedback :- Self-correction and Praising Then teacher asks for the relationship between the x and the y coordinates (y= - 2x). Comparing it with the graphs in the previous examples (increasing and decreasing) Part (D) can be given as homework. Closure The lesson will be closed by letting the students know that now is their opportunity to demonstrate what we have been reviewing in class. Explain that in the next few days we will be dealing with more complex linear equations, but that all of the results will stem from the steps that we are taking today. Following the presentation of this material, distribute the inclass assignment that is attached as Appendix C. This will be given as an in class assignment, however, near the end of class they
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will be informed that if they are unable to complete it in the remaining class time, they may take it home and complete it as homework. The teacher should circulate through the classroom and assist students as needed. If there is a particular problem of note, the solution should be addressed on the blackboard to the entire class.

4.0 The Misconceptions and Strategies of teaching Linear Equation or Equation of Straight Line Students understanding of core algebraic concepts of variable and equivalence influences their success in solving problems, the strategies they use, and the justification they give for their solutions (Knuth, Alibali, McNeil, Weinberg, & Stephens, 2005). Students who interpret letters as specific unknowns and not as generalised numbers or variable quantities learn the procedures of manipulation and substitution without assigning any meaning to the symbols (Booth, 1995). Misconceptions about the variable, such as whenever a letter stands alone it is equal to 1 and letters and numbers are detached, are also responsible for student difficulties in equation solving (Perso, 1991). These misconceptions are carried forward into concepts like equality and equation solving and students think that the meaning of the equality sign is always an instruction to find the answer by carrying out some calculation (Kieran, 1981). Students misapply rules for transforming equations, which could be due to misinterpretation of algebraic expressions or not understanding the given situation (Nunes, Bryant, & Watson, 2007). Different teaching approaches such as a functional approach, a problem solving approach and a generalisation approach have been suggested from time to time as a way of teaching beginning algebra. However, research has also indicated a range of difficulties associated with each of these approaches. Trigueros and Ursini (2001) presented a teaching model to approach the study of algebra. In this 3UV model, they suggested that three aspects of variables namely unknown, variable and generalised number should be studied one by one and then these three aspects should be integrated so that students can acquire a holistic concept of variable. The effectiveness of this teaching model is not supported by any reported research. The fact is that the aspect of a variable as an unknown quantity is automatically included in the other two aspects (variable as a function and variable as a generalised number). However, generalised numbers

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associate variables with multiple values and are not sufficient to indicate the relationship between quantities, which is an essential ingredient in representing a problem algebraically. Therefore it is necessary for variable as a function to be studied together in parallel with generalised number using multiple representations and real contexts so that a complete meaning can be associated with the term variable. Solution Strategies When students are presented with an equation such as x + 5 = 8, they usually see it as an arithmetic process and they prefer to use guess and check or working backwards as a strategy to solve this equation. It is not until they come across an equation of the type 2x + 5 = x - 7, with x on both sides, that they are forced to think of an equation as an object to be operated upon to solve it (Sfard & Linchevski, 1994). Kieran (1992) presented a summary of strategies used by students to solve a linear equation, namely, known facts, counting techniques, guess and check, cover up, working backwards, and formal operations. These equation solving strategies can be arranged from least to most sophisticated as guess and check, using known facts/counting strategies, inverse operations, working backwards then guess and check, working backwards then known fact, working backwards and transformations (Linsell, 2009). The most sophisticated strategy of transformations is understood by very few students (Linsell, 2009).

5.0 Conclusion

Students selection of a solution strategy depended extensively on the strategies employed by their teachers to solve linear equations in their lessons. Some students like to use the solution strategy which they thought was more suitable to solve the given equation, and they were more successful in solving some linear equations as compared to the comparison classes. For example, during the lesson most students chose the balancing method to solve the given question and 89% of them were able to solve this question correctly.
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On the other hands, the use of graphics calculators required an initial overhead of time and effort the students and teacher felt this was worthwhile. This technology afforded the students support for their exploration of real world problems but at the same time the calculator syntax constraint of allowing only y and x to represent variables influenced some students by-hand rule writing. As a result of approaching the topic of linear functions through the solution of real world context problems, students came to see that mathematics is useful. They learnt to write the equation of straight lines rules in a conventional manner, and as a result of working in context, they quickly came to make sensible use of symbols and understand functions as giving one variable quantity in terms of another. Their comments suggested that they felt some sense of satisfaction in writing generalizations that allowed them to solve these problems.

6.0

Worksheet 1 Title :- Equation of Straight Lines Name :-. Class :-.. Question :- Find the value of x and y, then complete the equation from the blank given.

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2. 1.

3.

4.

Worksheet 2 Question :- Please graph the following:

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Question :- Graph each equation from the given graph paper.

Example answer (Question 1)

1. y = 3x 2

2. y = -x

3. y = -0.5x + 4

4. 2x y = 1

5. 2x y = -1

6. x + 2y = 2

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7.0 Reference

1. www.wikipedia.com

2.

Asp, G., Dowsey, J., Stacey, K. & Tynan, D. (1995). Graphic algebra: Explorations with a function grapher. Carlton, VIC: Curriculum Corporation.

3. Janvier, C. (1996). Modeling and the initiation into algebra. In N. Bednarz, C. Kieran & L. Lee (Eds.), Approaches to algebra: Perspectives for research and teaching (pp. 222 238). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 4. The teaching of linear equation :- Comparing between three teacher, Paul Andrews, University of Cambridge. 5. Boulton-Lewis, G., Cooper, T., Atweh, B., Pillay, H., Wilson, L., & Mutch, S. (1997). Processing load and the use of concrete representations and strategies for solving linear equations. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 16(4), 379-397. 6. 7. Equations of straight Lines, mathcentre July 18, 2005 The Multifaceted Variable Approach: Selection of Method in Solving Simple Linear Equations, Salmah Tahir and Michael Cavanagh, Macquarie University 8. Filloy, E., & Sutherland, R. (1996). Designing curricula for teaching and learning algebra. In A. Bishop, C.Keitel, J. Kilpatrick, & C. Laborde (Eds.), International handbook of mathematics education, (pp. 139-60). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer

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