A rate of change is a rate that describes how one quantity changes in relation to another quantity. If x
x
is the independent variable and y
y
is the dependent variable, then
rateofchange=changeinychangeinx
rate
of
change
=
change
in
y
change
in
x
Rates of change can be positive or negative. This corresponds to an increase or decrease in the y
y
-value between the two data points. When a quantity does not change over time, it is called zero rate of change.
