asymptote - Answers A horizontal, vertical, or slanted line on a graph that a curve approaches but
never touches.
average rate of change - Answers The average rate at which one variable is changing in relation to
another variable's changing.
big-box stores - Answers A very large store, typically over 50,000 square feet, of plain design,
resembling a large box.
broadband - Answers High-speed Internet access that is always on and much faster than dial-up.
calculate the average rate of change - Answers The formula to compute an average rate of change is
(y2-y1) divided by (x2-x1).
coefficient of determination - Answers A statistic that measures how well a regression predictions
approximate the real data points. An r^2 of 1 indicates that the regression prediction is a perfect fit
for the data.
common era - Answers A designation previously called "A.D.," meaning annus domini, "year of the
Lord"; the Common Era dates year 1 as the presumed year of Jesus of Nazareth's birth.
common ratio - Answers The number by which each term in a sequence is multiplied to find the next
number in the sequence; for example 4 is the common ratio for the sequence [1, 4, 16, 64, 256...].
constant ratio - Answers Occurs when the numeric relationship between two quantities - that is, how
many times one number contains the second - remains unchanged over time.
data - Answers A collection of facts, which might be numbers, words, measurements, observations or
simply descriptions.
data regression - Answers The process of examining data points to determine a valid equation.
"Regression" refers to bringing different data points down toward a normal average - "regressing"
them.
dependent variable - Answers A variable that is changed by another variable (called the independent
variable); for example, when a person is purchasing gas, the cost (the dependent variable) rises as
more gas is pumped into a car's tank (the independent variable).
equations - Answers A mathematical statement that two things are equal; it consists of two
expressions, one on each side of an equals sign.
exponent - Answers A mathematical notation - a superscript - that defines the number of times a
number is multiplied by itself.
exponential function - Answers A function that has an extremely rapid increase or decrease in
quantity in proportion to its current value; its form is f(x) = b^2.
extrapolation - Answers A method of inserting new data points outside the range of a known set of
data points. ("Extra" means outside.)
f(x) = mx - Answers A very basic function; it means that the function of x is the product of a constant
multiplied by a variable input, x.
f(x) = mx +b - Answers A basic common function; it means that the function of x is the product of a
constant multiplied by a variable input, x, plus another constant, b.
function - Answers A relation based on a set of inputs and a set of possible outputs where each input
is related to exactly one output.
function notation - Answers The conventional way to write a function, precise enough to describe the
function without a long written explanation.
function of best fit - Answers A function that best represents given data points.
functions - Answers A relation based on a set of inputs and a set of possible outputs where each input
is related to exactly one output.
general trend - Answers A pattern of gradual change in a consistent direction, represented by a line or
curve on a graph.
global maximum - Answers The maximum over the entire range of a function.
global minimum - Answers The minimum over the entire range of a function.
graph - Answers A diagram showing the relationship between variable quantities on two axes drawn
at right angles.
graphs - Answers A diagram showing the relationship between variable quantities on two axes drawn
at right angles.
horizontal asymptote - Answers On a graph, a horizontal line parallel to the x-axis that a function's
curve approaches but does not touch, even to infinity.