Different types of equations

I can recognise that there are many different types of equations of which linear is one type.

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Year 8

Different types of equations

I can recognise that there are many different types of equations of which linear is one type.

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Share activities with pupils

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Lesson details

Key learning points

An equation is a statement that two expressions are equal, indicated by =.
Linear expressions can be represented by a straight line on a graph.
Non-linear expressions can be identified from their graphical form.
Equations can be grouped as linear or non-linear.

Keywords

Gradient - The gradient is a measure of how steep a line is
Expression - Expressions contain one or more terms, where each term is separated by an operator.
Equation - An equation is used to show that one number or calculation is equal to another.
Linear - The relationship between two variables is linear if, when plotted on a pair of axes, a straight line is formed.

Common misconception

Pupils may think all equations are for straight lines so can be plotted from 2 points.

Explore different relationships, most relationships are not linear but we focus a lot on linear relationships and their unique structure.

The use of graphing software will help pupils plot more complicated equations. This will then be useful when finding solutions to equations from graphs.

Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).