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Comparing Linear, Quadratic, and Exponential Functions

Author: Graham Pardun

How to Tell If a Table Represents a Linear, Quadratic, or Exponential Function

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!