b We can make a table by substituting different values of x in the equation and simplifying.
|c|c|c|
[-1em]
x & 1/2x-4 & y [0.7em]
[-0.8em]
0 & 1/2( 0)-4 & - 4 [0.7em]
[-0.8em]
2 & 1/2( 2)-4 & - 3 [0.7em]
[-0.8em]
4 & 1/2( 4)-4 & - 2 [0.7em]
Note that we only need two points to draw the graph. With that said, we will plot all three points.
c Having graphed the equation in Part B, we can find the x-intercept by examining where the graph crosses the x-axis. In this case, it does so at a lattice point, which makes this possible. However, if the x-intercept was a decimal number, this would not be a viable option.
To find the x-intercept with a table, we have to try x-values at random until we get lucky and choose the x-value that produces y=0.
