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Find the equation of a line that contains the points (−5,−7) and (−8,0).

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Answer:

y = -7/3x - 56/3

Explanation:

Since we're given two points, we can find the equation of the line in slope-intercept form, whose general equation is given by:

y = mx + b, where:

  • m is the slope,
  • and b is the y-intercept.

Finding the slope (m):

Given two points on a line, we can find the slope using the slope formula, which is given by:

m = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1), where:

  • m is the slope,
  • (x1, y1) is one point,
  • and (x2, y2) is another point.

Thus, we can find the slope (m) of the line by substituting (-5, -7) for (x1, y1) and (-8, 0) for (x2, y2) in the slope formula:

m = (0 - (-7)) / (-8 - (-5))

m = (0 + 7) / (-8 + 5)

m = 7 / -3

m = -7/3

Thus, the slope of the line is -7/3.

Finding the y-intercept (b):

Now, we can find the y-intercept by substituting -7/3 for m and (-5, -7) for (x, y) in the general equation of the slope-intercept form:

-7 = -7/3(-5) + b

(-7 = 35/3 + b) - 35/3

-56/3 = b

Thus, the y-intercept of the line is -56/3.

Writing the equation of the line (in slope-intercept form):

Therefore, y = -7/3x - 56/3 is the equation of the line (in slope-intercept form) that contains the points (-5, -7) and (-8, 0)

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