Exercise 17 Page 321

Recall the slope-intercept form of a linear equation. y= mx+ b Here, m represents the slope of the line and b represents the y-intercept.

Identifying Slope and 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 the y-intercept b. y= 4x+( -3) We can see that the slope is 4. The y-intercept is -3, so the graph crosses the y-axis at the point (0, - 3).

Graphing the Equation

A slope of 4 means that for every 1 unit we move in the positive horizontal direction, we also move 4 units in the positive vertical direction. m= 4/1 ⇔ rise/run=4/1 To graph the equation, plot the y-intercept and then use the slope to find another point on the line. Then connect the points with a line to graph the equation.