Final answer:
No. The equation y = mx + b is a linear equation, not a rational function. It represents a straight line with a slope (m) and a y-intercept (b), and does not involve division by a variable, which is characteristic of rational functions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation y = mx + b is not typically considered a rational function. A rational function is defined as a function that can be expressed as the ratio of two polynomials. In contrast, the equation given defines a linear function where m represents the slope and b indicates the y-intercept.
The slope, m, describes the steepness of the line, defined as the rise over the run between any two points on the line. The y-intercept, b, is the value at which the line crosses the y-axis. Thus, the equation y = mx + b graphically represents a straight line and does not involve any variable in the denominator, which is typical of rational functions.
If we were interested in solving for y, we would not need to adjust the terms to involve a denominator as suggested by the statement about returning b to denominator status. Solving for y simply requires inputting values for x into the linear equation.