Maintaining Mathematical Proficiency
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What information does a slope-intercept form equation give you?
Equations written in slope-intercept form follow a specific format.
y= mx+b
In this form, m represents the slope of the line and b represents the y-intercept.
Since the given equation is not in slope-intercept form, let's rewrite it so that it will be easier to identify the slope and y-intercept.
Below we highlight the slope m and y-intercept b. y= 1x - 4 ⇔ y= 1x+(-4) The slope is 1. The y-intercept is - 4, so the graph crosses the y-axis at the point (0,- 4).
A slope of 1 means that for every 1 unit we move in the positive horizontal direction, we move 1 unit in the positive vertical direction. m= 1/1 ⇔ rise/run=1/1 To graph the equation, plot the y-intercept and then use the slope to find another point on the line.
