Question 268805: How do you solve:
Write an equation of a line which contains the points (3, -2) and (3,6).
Thank you
Answer by Edwin McCravy(20056) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! How do you solve:
Write an equation of a line which contains the points (3, -2) and (3,6).
Let's plot those two points:
Now I will draw a green line through them:
Hmm! That's a very special type of line!
Notice that it is VERICAL. Vertical lines are the only kinds of lines
that DO NOT have slopes or y-intercepts!
However, vertical lines DO have equations. Notice that the
two points you were given both have the same x-coordinate 3.
Look at some other points on that vertical line. Five more
points on that line are (3,5), (3,4), (3,2), (3,-3), and (3,-7):
In fact, EVERY point on that line has its x-coordinate
as 3.
So to describe that vertical green line, we could just say
"The x-coordinate of any point on the line always equals 3"
or
"x always equals 3"
or even shorter
"x = 3"
That's the way to describe a vertical line, just
write "x =" and put whatever number after it
that the x-coordinates of all the points on it are,
in this case all the x-coordinates are 3.
So the equation of that vertical line is
x = 3
You cannot put it in slope-intercept form,
for two reasons:
1. It has no slope!
and
2. It has no y-intercept!
So you just have to leave the equation as simply
x = 3
Note:
The problem you have submitted is an unusual kind of problem
because every other kind of line except a vertical line has
a slope and a y-intercept. All vertical lines have equations
of the form x = k
Edwin
|
|
|