Gradient match

Gradient match

Excerpt: A resource to get students thinking about the graphical links between a function and its gradient. Students are given a set of sketch graphs and asked to pair them up as the graph of a function and the graph of its gradient function.

Problem

Here are the graphs of six functions and of the gradient function for each one, but they have been muddled up. Can you match them in pairs?

(You might want to download cards with these graphs on them.)

Graph 1

Graph 2

Graph 3

Graph 4

Graph 5

Graph 6

Graph 7

Graph 8

Graph 9

Graph 10

Graph 11

Graph 12

Solution

Here is how we matched up the graphs.

Graph 8

Graph 12

Graph 4

Graph 1

Graph 2

Graph 10

Graph 11

Graph 6

Graph 5

Graph 3

Graph 9

Graph 7