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Linear, quadratic and exponential functions have different graphs, equations, and characteristics. In this tutorial, compare the shape of linear, quadratic, and exponential curves on a graph, and explore how to identify a function as linear, quadratic, or exponential by examining x- and y-coordinates.
Usually it's pretty easy to tell from a graph whether a function is linear, quadratic, or exponential -- these things have pretty distinct shapes. But what if you're given a table of data and can't graph it, or if there isn't enough data for the graph to look like anything? Each type of function shows very distinct patterns in their data--here's how to identify those patterns!
