Final answer:
The slope of a linear equation like
can be found by identifying the coefficient of x, referred to as b or m. This coefficient represents the slope, and the constant term a or b is the y-intercept.
Step-by-step explanation:
How to Find the Slope of an Equation with x and y:
When looking at the standard form of a linear equation, namely
, finding the slope is straightforward. The notation might vary, with some references using
instead, but the concept remains unchanged. The coefficient of x, represented by b or m is the slope of the equation. The constant term represented by a or b is the y-intercept.
To find the slope, identify the coefficient of x which is the number multiplying x in the equation. For example, if an equation is given as
, the slope (m) would be 4. This means for every one unit increase in x, y increases by 4 units. The y-intercept would be 3 indicating where the line crosses the y-axis. Remember, the slope is constant for a straight line, meaning it does not change at any point along the line. Therefore the correct answer to the original question is: a) Identify the coefficient of x in the equation. This is the slope in the context of a linear equation with variables x and y.