Chapter Three

THE RULE IN THE TABLE

The irrigation deck. Pipes hum. A water meter blinks out numbers.

THEOWater sensor data. A table puts the two variables side by side so the pattern can't hide.

VEXPractice on a smaller machine first. A drip line gave 1 hour → 3 liters, 2 → 6, 4 → 12. Its rule is the equation y = 3x: every y is 3 times its x. Note: the rule survived EVERY row.

An equation is a rule for computing the dependent variable from the independent one. Test a rule on every row of the table — one lucky row proves nothing.

ZARANow the main line. Hours in, liters out. Find its rule and we know how thirsty this dome really is.

TheRule in the Table

The
Rule in the Table