Final answer:
To find the y-intercept of a linear equation, identify the constant b in the equation y = mx + b. For the x-intercept, set y to zero and solve for x. The slope is represented by the coefficient m, calculated as rise over run.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the y-intercept of a linear equation such as y = mx + b, you can look at the equation and identify the b term, which represents the y-intercept directly. The y-intercept is the point where the line crosses the y-axis, which occurs when x = 0. In this case, the y-intercept is (0, b). To find the x-intercept, you set y to zero and solve for x. This gives you the point where the line crosses the x-axis.
Understanding and interpreting the y-intercept is crucial because it indicates where the plot line starts on the graph. The y-intercept occurs where the third exam score is zero in a real-world example of third exam vs. final exam scores. However, if it doesn't make sense to have an x value of zero, like in this example, the y-intercept may not be relevant to the situation.
The slope of a line is depicted by the m term in a linear equation and is defined as the rise over run. For instance, with a slope of 3, this indicates a vertical rise of 3 for every horizontal increase of 1. In the equation y = mx + b or y = a + bx, whether we denote it by m or b, the coefficient of x represents the slope.