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Mathematics vocabulary · Functions and Graphs

Graph

Meaning in mathematics, with examples

/ɡræf/nounCore term

In mathematics, graph means: A drawing that shows the relationship between quantities, especially all the points (x, y) of a function shown on a pair of axes.

In Turkish: grafik, çizge

How it is used

You draw, sketch, plot and read a graph; 'graph' is also a verb: 'graph the function'. To 'sketch' is to show the general shape and key points, while to 'plot' is to mark exact points. In graph theory, a graph is a set of points joined by lines.

Example sentences

  1. Sketch the graph of y = x² − 4 and label where it crosses the x-axis.

  2. According to the graph, the car reached its top speed after ten seconds.

Common collocations

  • sketch a graph
  • plot a graph
  • read off the graph
  • graph paper
  • the graph of a function
  • axisOne of the reference lines on a graph, usually the horizontal x-axis and the vertical y-axis, used to locate points by their coordinates.
  • functionA rule that takes each input from a set and gives exactly one output, for example f(x) = 2x + 1, which doubles a number and adds one.
  • slopeA number that measures how steep a line is: the change in y divided by the change in x between any two points on the line.
  • interceptA point where a graph crosses one of the axes; the y-intercept of y = 2x + 3 is 3, because the line crosses the y-axis at (0, 3).

More terms: Functions and Graphs

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