The equation of a line is
- x and y are the coordinates of any point on the line
- m is the slope (tilt) of the line
- b is the y-intercept (where the line crosses the y-intercept)
*Every line graphed on the coordinate plane is made up of at least TWO points.
In order to graph a line, you must need at least TWO points. Given the equation y = 2x + 3, you can set up a table to figure out the two points that you will need.
x | y = 2x + 3 |
0 | 3 |
1 | 5 |
2 | 7 |
Basically, choose any 3 values of x (you should start with 0 since that will give you the point for the y-intercept). Then, plug those values into the equation to figure out what the y-coordinates are for the given points.