Final answer:
To find the linear function, we calculate the slope using the two points, finding it to be 2. Then, using one point to solve for the y-intercept, we find the y-intercept to be 5. The linear function is y = 2x + 5.
Step-by-step explanation:
To write a linear function that fits the given points, we need to first calculate the slope (m) using the given points (x1, y1) = (-2, 1) and (x2, y2) = (1, 7). The slope is calculated as follows:
m = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1)
m = (7 - 1) / (1 - (-2))
m = 6 / 3
m = 2
Now that we have the slope, we can use one of the points to solve for the y-intercept (b) using the formula y = mx + b. Let's use the point (-2, 1):
1 = 2(-2) + b
1 = -4 + b
b = 5
So, our linear equation is:
y = 2x + 5
This equation represents a line that passes through the points (-2, 1) and (1, 7), with a slope of 2 and a y-intercept of 5.