document.write( "Question 107395: Can someone help me with this problem? I think I am missing a step somewhere and I cannot figure out where.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Find the slope and y-intercept by writing the equation in slope intercept form and graph.
\n" ); document.write( "3x+y=-2
\n" ); document.write( "Would you consider the y a 1?
\n" ); document.write( " Thanks \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #78164 by bucky(2189)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
The method to use in solving this problem is to rearrange the given equation into the point-slope
\n" ); document.write( "form. The point-slope form of a linear equation is:
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\n" ); document.write( "y = mx + b
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\n" ); document.write( "m, the multiplier of x, is the slope of the graph, and b, the constant is the value on
\n" ); document.write( "the y-axis where the graph crosses the y-axis.
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\n" ); document.write( "You were given the equation:
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\n" ); document.write( "3x + y = -2
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\n" ); document.write( "You want to get y by itself on the left side of the equation. You can do that by getting rid
\n" ); document.write( "of the 3x on the left side. You can do that by subtracting 3x from both sides of the equation.
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\n" ); document.write( "When you subtract 3x from the left side, it combines with the 3x that was given, and the
\n" ); document.write( "two cancel out. Therefore, the 3x disappears from the left side. And when you subtract 3x
\n" ); document.write( "from the right side, -3x appears on the right side. So by subtracting 3x from both sides
\n" ); document.write( "the equation becomes:
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\n" ); document.write( "y = -3x -2
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\n" ); document.write( "Compare this equation to the point-slope form of y = mx + b. When you do, you see that
\n" ); document.write( "the left side is y. And on the right side, m (the multiplier of x) compares to -3 in your
\n" ); document.write( "problem. Since m is the slope of the equation in point-slope form, then you can immediately
\n" ); document.write( "say that the slope in your problem is -3. Notice also that b (the constant) compares to
\n" ); document.write( "-2 in your problem. And since b is the intercept on the y-axis, you can say that in your
\n" ); document.write( "problem the y-intercept (that is, the value on the y-axis where the graph crosses the
\n" ); document.write( "y-axis) is - 2.
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\n" ); document.write( "In summary, the graph of the given equation is a straight line. It intercepts the y-axis
\n" ); document.write( "at y = -2 and it has a slope of -3 ... meaning that for every 1 unit you move horizontally
\n" ); document.write( "from a point on the graph, the graph then goes down 3 units. [The down direction is because
\n" ); document.write( "of the minus sign on -3.]
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\n" ); document.write( "The graph of y = -3x - 2 looks like this:
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\n" ); document.write( "Hope this helps you to understand this problem and helps you to find where you went astray.
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