Final answer:
The equation that represents the given proportional relationship is y = 9 + 3x. The coefficient of x represents the rate of change, and the constant term represents the starting value or y-intercept of the line.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation that represents the given proportional relationship is y = 9 + 3x. In this equation, the coefficient of x, which is 3, represents the rate of change or slope of the line. This means that for every increase of 1 in x, y will increase by 3. The constant term 9 represents the starting value or y-intercept of the line, which is the value of y when x is 0.