the y intercept is when x=0
x is the depdendent numer
when x=0 (or when no change has occured), the y intercept is te starting value
example
a car is at the 1 mile mark
if it goes 10 miles per hour, what mark will it be at in 10 minutes
distance=10x+1
1 is starting point, when x=0, or when the car hasn't traveld at all
yint is the initial value of the function