Sign In
| 13 Theory slides |
| 11 Exercises - Grade E - A |
| Each lesson is meant to take 1-2 classroom sessions |
Here are a few recommended readings before getting started with this lesson.
A linear equation can be written in many ways. Depending on the information at hand, one can be more suitable than others. One case is when the slope and a point on the line are known. In this situation, the point-slope form may be the best option.
A linear equation with slope m through the point (x1,y1) is written in the point-slope form if it has the following form.
y−y1=m(x−x1)
In this point-slope equation, (x1,y1) represents a specific point on the line, and (x,y) represents any point also on the line. Graphically, this means that the line passes through the point (x1,y1).
It is worth mentioning that the point-slope form can only be written for non-vertical lines.
x2=x, y2=y
LHS⋅(x−x1)=RHS⋅(x−x1)
Rearrange equation
The following applet shows linear equations representing the relationship between the variables x and y. Determine whether the given equation is written in point-slope form.
To get familiar with the point-slope form, it is essential to identify the parts of its composition. In the following applet, identify the slope or point used to create the given equation in point-slope form, depending on what is asked.
Sometimes knowing the behavior of a linear equation by just looking at the equation can be complicated. In these cases, the graph can be helpful. Therefore, it is essential to have a straightforward way to graph equations in point-slope form.
Finally, the line described by the equation in the point-slope form will be found by drawing a line through the two plotted points.
Graph:
Begin by identifying the point used to write the equation. Then, use the method for graphing a linear equation in point-slope form.
Next, a second point on the line can be found by using the slope. Because the given equation has a slope of 95, a second point can be plotted by going 9 units to the right and 5 units up.
Finally, the line described by the given equation will be found by drawing a line through the points.
Next, using the slope, a second point on the line can be found. The equation has a slope of 80, which can be written as 180. This means that a second point can be found by going 1 unit to the right and 80 units up.
Finally, connecting the points with a line will give the graph of the equation.
Note that in this situation, it makes sense that the distance traveled at t=0 is greater than 0 because LaShay started counting after the bus had traveled a certain distance.
However, this approach will not guarantee an exact solution. From the graph, it can be said that the distance traveled is nearly 1000 kilometers, while it was found to be 980 kilometers by using the equation. The graph gives an approximate answer, but the equation gives a precise answer.
t=0
Subtract term
a(-b)=-a⋅b
LHS+500=RHS+500
Add terms
The point-slope form is a helpful tool because the information needed to write it is minimal. Once the equation is found, how it behaves at any point can be obtained. The following method describes how to find the point-slope form of a linear equation.
Substitute (-1,5) & (1,1)
Next, one point on the line needs to be selected. Ideally, one of the points used in the previous step is chosen, but it can be any other point on the line whose coordinates are known. Out the given points, (1,1) will be used.
Kevin went parachuting. The following graph describes his descent in terms of the time until he landed.
Use the given graph to find the following information.
Substitute (2,2700) & (4,1500)
Subtract terms
Put minus sign in front of fraction
Calculate quotient
y=0
Subtract term
LHS/(-600)=RHS/(-600)
-b-a=ba
LHS+4=RHS+4
Rearrange equation
a=600600⋅a
Add fractions
ba=b/300a/300
Write as a decimal
Kriz is doing their math homework assignment. They are asked to transform each equation on the left to its corresponding equation in point-slope or slope-intercept forms using the provided information. Moreover, for the equations in slope-intercept form, the point that it is provided should be used as a guide to finding its equivalent equation in point-slope form.
Equation | Equivalent Equation |
---|---|
y+2=21(x+1) | |
y=51x+31, (1,158) | |
y−30=5(x+1) | |
y=-2x+3, (1,-1) |
Equation | Equivalent Equation |
---|---|
y+2=21(x+1) | y=21x−23 |
y=51x+31, (1,158) | y−158=51(x−1) |
y−30=5(x+1) | y=5x+35 |
y=-2x+3, (1,-1) | y+1=-2(x−1) |
For equations in slope-intercept form, its equivalent equation will be found by isolating the y variable. On the other hand, the given point jointly with the slope will be used to find the equivalent equation of the equations in slope-intercept form.
Distribute 21
a⋅1=a
LHS−2=RHS−2
a=22⋅a
Subtract term
With the information found, the table can be now completed.
Equation | Equivalent Equation |
---|---|
y+2=21(x+1) | y=21x−23 |
y=51x+31, (1,158) | y−158=51(x−1) |
y−30=5(x+1) | y=5x+35 |
y=-2x+3, (1,-1) | y+1=-2(x−1) |
The following applet provides some information about a linear equation. Identify the equation in the point-slope form that corresponds to the given information.
Which graph is the graph of the equation written in Part A?
Consider the general form of an equation in point-slope form. y- y_1= m(x- x_1) In this equation, m is the slope and the point ( x_1, y_1) is a specific point that lies on the graph of the line. We are given the point ( -3, 4) and the slope -5. To determine the equation, we will substitute this information into the general form.
We will graph the equation on a coordinate plane to determine which of the given graphs corresponds to the equation. Let's plot the point (-3,4).
Next, we will use the slope -5 to find a second point on the line. Note that -5 can be written as -51. Recall that slope represents the rise over run of the line. This means that a second point can be found by going 1 unit to the right and 5 units down.
We can now connect the points with a line to get the graph of the equation.
This corresponds to option C.
Write an equation in point-slope form for the given graph by using the given point.
Consider the general form of an equation in point-slope form. y- y_1= m(x- x_1) In this equation, m is the slope and ( x_1, y_1) is a specific point on the graph of the equation. We need to determine this information for the given graph.
In this graph, ( -4, 3) is a point on the line and its slope, calculated by the rise over run of the line, is m= -12. Let's substitute this information into the general form of an equation in point-slope form. y- 3= - 1/2(x-( -4)) [0.3em] ⇕ [0.3em] y-3=-1/2(x+4)
We can follow a similar reasoning to the previous part to find an equation for the given graph.
In this case, the line that passes through ( 3, 4) has a slope of 23. Let's substitute this information into the formula to to find the equation of the line in point-slope form. y- 4= 2/3(x- 3)
Note that all the equations are written in point-slope form. This makes it difficult to identify which equation does not belong. We will find the equivalent equation in slope-intercept form of each equation to determine which one is different. Let's rewrite the first equation.
The slope-intercept form of the first equation is y=2x+7. We can use the same process to determine the slope-intercept forms of the remaining equations.
Point-Slope Form | Calculations | Slope-Intercept Form |
---|---|---|
y-3=2(x+2) | y-3=2x+4 | y=2x+7 |
y-9=2(x-1) | y-9=2x-2 | y=2x+7 |
y+2=2(x+5) | y+2=2x+10 | y=2x+8 |
y+1=2(x+4) | y+1=2x+8 | y=2x+7 |
We can see that the equivalent equations in slope-intercept form for all the equations is the same, except for the third one. This means that equation C does not belong with the others.
If a true statement is obtained when evaluating an equation at a certain point, it means that the graph of the equation goes through that point. Using this fact, let's evaluate each equation at the point (2,3). Then we can determine which equation is correct. We will start with the first equation.
We get a false statement. This means that the first equation is not a possible equation for the line. Following a similar reasoning, we will evaluate the remaining equations.
Equation | Substitution | Simplification |
---|---|---|
y+12=7(x+13) | 3+12? =7( 2+13) | 15=105 |
y-3=5(x-15) | 3-3? =5( 2-15) | 0=-65 |
y-95/3=2/3(x-45) | 3-95/3? =2/3( 2-45) | -86/3=- 86/3 |
y+1=-3(x+18) | 3+1? =-3( 2+18) | 4=-60 |
Only the third equation resulted in a true statement after substituting the point (2,3) for x and y and simplifying. This means this equation is a possible equation for the line through (2,3). This corresponds to option C.
We will determine which of the equations is equivalent to the equation given in point-slope form. We can see that all of the options are written in the slope-intercept form. This means that to determine the right option, we need to consider the following factors.
We have found that the equation y=2x+13 is equivalent to the equation y-3=2(x+5). y-3=2(x+5) ⇔ y=2x+13 Because we know that this equation is unique, we can discard the other options. Therefore, the equivalent equation is given by option D.