Module 6 Introduction: Module 6 Introduction

Math 10C Module 6 Introduction

Module 6: Linear Equations

This is a photo of a teen walking a small white dog in a park.

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Have you experienced stress in your life? Perhaps you have worried about the results of a test or felt anxiety about speaking in public. Perhaps you have missed a deadline or you have had conflict with your classmates or coworkers. It is probably safe to say that everyone has experienced stress in their life!

Anything that you worry about may be a source of stress, even if you are worrying about something that is positive. For example, a bride on her wedding day may feel just as much stress as a driver who has just been involved in a car accident. The circumstances of your life will always bring a measure of stress. The way that you manage the stress in your life will determine your level of health and happiness.

One of the ways that you can reduce stress is by engaging in activities you enjoy. Recreational pursuits or hobbies can help you reduce stress, develop new skills, and feel rejuvenated. Stepping away from the issues you face on a daily basis allows you to restore your sense of control and gives you new perspective on those issues. Hobbies such as listening to music or creating an artistic piece all help to diminish the stress in your life.

Another proven way to reduce stress is to participate in physical activity. Physical activity helps reduce tension in your body and relaxes your muscles. The physical activity does not have to be rigorous to be effective. You can walk your dog, clean your house, lift weights, or join a water fitness class or yoga class just to name a few examples. You can also take the time each day to stretch and relax each part of your body.

In this module you will learn about linear equations in the context of different leisure activities. You will learn a new way of representing functions. You will also build on past knowledge by using the properties of lines to write linear equations. In the second half of this module you will learn how to identify parallel and perpendicular lines from their slopes and how to apply linear equation to modelling and solving problems.

In this module you will investigate the following questions:

What are linear relations and functions?
What is function notation, and what does it describe?
How are the properties of linear functions used to define relationships, and how are they used to model and solve problems?

To investigate these questions, you will focus on the following lessons and consider the lesson questions listed.

Lesson	Title	Lesson Questions
1	Function Notation	How do you sketch the graph of a linear function expressed in function notation? Why are different types of notation used in mathematics?
2	The Equation of a Line	How are the properties of a linear function used to determine its equation? In what ways does drawing a graph help you to solve math problems?
3	Parallel and Perpendicular Lines	How can you determine the relative orientation of a pair of lines by examining their slopes? How can knowledge of mathematical relationships between parallel and perpendicular lines be applied to problem-solving situations?
4	Applications of Linear Equations	How are the fixed and variable elements of a problem related to the linear equation y = mx + b? How do you apply techniques and concepts learned in this module to solve problems?

The lessons in this module are based on recreational pursuits you can undertake to relieve stress or to explore your creative side. You will learn the outcomes in this module in a variety of ways—through Math Labs, interactive lessons, and videos. You will collect data in a variety of fun ways, including counting the beats to your favourite song as well as testing your ability to differentiate between the colours of a word and the word itself. You will use the Internet to explore concepts, and you will work through short interactive lessons that allow you to apply those concepts. You will solve reality-based problems, which will help you to see how these concepts are applied in day-to-day living.

You will continue to do exciting project work, which will reinforce your understanding of key mathematical ideas. Your project work will involve, among other things, investigating the mathematics of scuba diving and applying mathematics to your favourite artwork! You will also extend your learning by exploring tangrams and researching the relationship between the amount of time spent listening to music and hearing loss.