Final answer:
The y-intercept and x-intercept of a line can only be the same if both are zero, meaning the line passes through the origin.
Step-by-step explanation:
The y-intercept is the point where a line crosses the y-axis, and in the equation y = mx + b, b represents the y-intercept while m is the slope. The y-intercept occurs at (0, b) on the graph. The x-intercept is the point where the line crosses the x-axis, and occurs where y is equal to zero. The y-intercept and the x-intercept can only be the same if they both occur at the origin, which means both numbers are zero. This situation happens when the line passes through the origin, where both x and y are zero.