document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=501950>Question 501950</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Why is it not possible to write the equation of the line through (-8, -5) and (-8, -9) in point-intercept form? </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #338727 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=jim_thompson5910><B>jim_thompson5910(35256)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=jim_thompson5910><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/nopicture.jpg><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=338727\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> \r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "First let's find the slope of the line through the points <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=\"/cgi-bin/rendertex.cgi?\LARGE \left(-8,-5\right)\"> and <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=\"/cgi-bin/rendertex.cgi?\LARGE \left(-8,-9\right)\">\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "Note: <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=\"/cgi-bin/rendertex.cgi?\LARGE \left(x_{1}, y_{1}\right)\"> is the first point <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=\"/cgi-bin/rendertex.cgi?\LARGE \left(-8,-5\right)\">. So this means that <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x%5B1%5D=-8 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x%5B1%5D=-8\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > and <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=y%5B1%5D=-5 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"y%5B1%5D=-5\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >.\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "Also, <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=\"/cgi-bin/rendertex.cgi?\LARGE \left(x_{2}, y_{2}\right)\"> is the second point <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=\"/cgi-bin/rendertex.cgi?\LARGE \left(-8,-9\right)\">.  So this means that <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x%5B2%5D=-8 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x%5B2%5D=-8\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > and <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=y%5B2%5D=-9 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"y%5B2%5D=-9\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >.\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=m=%28y%5B2%5D-y%5B1%5D%29%2F%28x%5B2%5D-x%5B1%5D%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"m=%28y%5B2%5D-y%5B1%5D%29%2F%28x%5B2%5D-x%5B1%5D%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > Start with the slope formula.\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=m=%28-9--5%29%2F%28-8--8%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"m=%28-9--5%29%2F%28-8--8%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > Plug in <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=y%5B2%5D=-9 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"y%5B2%5D=-9\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >, <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=y%5B1%5D=-5 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"y%5B1%5D=-5\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >, <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x%5B2%5D=-8 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x%5B2%5D=-8\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >, and <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x%5B1%5D=-8 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x%5B1%5D=-8\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=m=%28-4%29%2F%28-8--8%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"m=%28-4%29%2F%28-8--8%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > Subtract <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=-5 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"-5\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > from <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=-9 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"-9\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > to get <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=-4 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"-4\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=m=%28-4%29%2F%280%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"m=%28-4%29%2F%280%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > Subtract <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=-8 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"-8\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > from <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=-8 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"-8\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > to get <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=0 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"0\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "Remember, you <b>cannot</b> divide by zero. So this means that the slope is undefined.\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "Since the slope is undefined, this means that the equation of the line through the points <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=\"/cgi-bin/rendertex.cgi?\LARGE \left(-8,-5\right)\"> and <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=\"/cgi-bin/rendertex.cgi?\LARGE \left(-8,-9\right)\"> is <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x=-8 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x=-8\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >.\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "Any equation in the form x = k where k is some number CANNOT be written in the form <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=y-y%5B1%5D=m%28x-x%5B1%5D%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"y-y%5B1%5D=m%28x-x%5B1%5D%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >, which is why it is not possible to write the equation of the line through (-8, -5) and (-8, -9) in point-intercept form. </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</TD></TR></TABLE>\n" );