Final answer:
When graphing an equation where y is an independent variable, you should convert the equation into slope-intercept form (y = mx + b), in which 'm' represents the slope, and 'b' is the y-intercept.
Step-by-step explanation:
When dealing with an equation in terms of y where y is a variable independent for graphing purposes, the approach you should take is to convert the equation into slope-intercept form (y = mx + b). This form facilitates easy graphing of the line, as it clearly shows the slope (rate of change) and the y-intercept (where the line crosses the y-axis). If you have the equation in a different form, you should attempt to rearrange or isolate y on one side of the equation, which is effectively doing the conversion to slope-intercept form. The converted equation y = a + bx, where a is the y-intercept and b is the slope is particularly helpful for graphing linear relationships, where x is the independent variable and y is the dependent variable.
To graph the equation, you can use points based on the slope and the y-intercept to plot the line. For nonlinear relations, converting to a different form relevant to the type of equation (e.g., vertex form for quadratics) may be required. However, if the question is simply to graph a linear equation, slope-intercept form is the most straightforward method.