Hello. I have a math question that I truly need some help on please.
Why do many of the graphs of real-world proportional relationships (such as distance to time) show the first quadrant but omit the other three quadrants?
I have to do a fill in the blank for this.
Real world information is often represented by (negative or positive) numbers. In a graph representing real world data, when (y is, both x and y are or x is) (negative, positive) then the only first quadrant is needed to show the relationship.
I am lost on this
Hello Scott.
My first choice answer is-positive
My second choice answer is- x and y are
My third choice answer is-positive
Is this correct?
what are the characteristics of x and y in Quad I?
Hello Scott positive numbers I think would I be right?
looks good
Thank you for checking this Scott.
No problem! I can help you understand why many graphs of real-world proportional relationships only show the first quadrant.
In a proportional relationship, two variables change in a consistent and predictable way. For example, in the case of distance and time, if you're traveling at a constant speed, the distance you cover will be proportional to the time you spend traveling.
Now, let's think about the context of distance and time. Distance cannot be negative because it represents a physical quantity, and it doesn't make sense to have negative distance. Time can also be considered positive, as it represents the duration of an event.
When we're graphing real-world data, we typically choose the horizontal axis (x-axis) to represent the independent variable, which, in this case, would be time. The vertical axis (y-axis) represents the dependent variable, which is distance.
Since time and distance are both positive quantities, we only need the first quadrant of the coordinate plane to show the relationship. The first quadrant consists of positive values for both the x and y axes. When we include negative values in the other quadrants, it could give the impression that there is a negative distance or negative time, which doesn't align with the nature of the problem.
In conclusion, when graphing real-world proportional relationships such as distance versus time, we typically omit the other three quadrants because they are not relevant to the problem and could introduce misleading information.
I hope this explanation clarifies the concept for you! Let me know if you have any further questions.