Question 201877: graph the equation and identify the y-intercept.
y=
_1_
3 x
Answer by PRMath(133)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! I hope I am reading your question correctly, because the fraction line and numbers aren't lining up perfectly. Even if I'm not reading it correctly, tho, the idea of how to solve the problem will be the same, so I hope you find this helpful.
Here goes:
I think your problem is y = 1/3x
Your problem is in the slope intercept form of a line, which is y = mx + b
In that equation, "m" represents the SLOPE and "b" is the y intercept. So, if you had the following equation of a line, for example: y = 3/4x + 3, your "y" intercept would be +3 and your slope would be +3/4. (Slope, by the way refers to rise/run).
So ok, how do you find a "y" intercept in an equation of a line when it isn't immediately evident to you? Well, to find a "y" intercept, you just solve for "y" by making x = 0. So in your problem, you would have:
y = 1/3x
y = 1/3(0)
y = 0
This means, if x = 0, then from the work above, you know y = 0. Therefore, your ordered pair for the y-intercept would be: (0,0) If you want to graph that, you would put a dot right at the origin of your coordinate plane. Then what?
Well, you'd have to look at your slope. Your slope in this equation is +1/3, and because we have already discussed that slope refers to "rise" over "run", you know that you have to go up 1 space from your y intercept of (0,0) and then from there, you have to "run" over 3 spaces.
SOoooo your 2nd point on the coordinate plane will end up at (3,1). If you connect the dot at (0,0) to the dot at (3,1) and draw a line between those two dots, you will see the line that is represented by your equation.
Just a reminder:
To find the y intercept: Solve for y by making x = 0.
To find the x intercept: Solve for x by making y = 0.
I hope this helps you. :-)
|
|
|
