96.3k views
5 votes
How do you change equations into the y = mx + b form? Are there specific steps or a worksheet to follow?

User Taveras
by
7.4k points

1 Answer

2 votes

Final answer:

To change equations into the y = mx + b form, isolate y by moving terms, combining like terms, and dividing by any coefficient of y. Then arrange the terms so that y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept. Expressing the equation graphically involves plotting (x, y) points and drawing a line through them.

Step-by-step explanation:

To change equations into the y = mx + b form, also referred to as the slope-intercept form, you follow several steps. The goal is to solve the equation for y so that you have y on one side of the equation by itself, and everything else on the other side. Here’s a general guide to doing this:

  • If the equation has terms on both sides of the equals sign, start by moving all the terms involving y to one side and the other terms to the opposite side. You can do this through addition or subtraction.
  • Once you have all the y-terms on one side, combine like terms if necessary.
  • If y is being multiplied by a coefficient other than 1, you need to isolate y by dividing the entire equation by that coefficient.
  • Once y is isolated, arrange the terms so that you have y on one side and terms of the form mx + b on the other, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept.

For example, with the equation y = 9 + 3x, it is already in the y = mx + b form, where 3 is the slope (m), and 9 is the y-intercept (b).

To express equations graphically, you can construct a table of values by plugging in different values for x and calculating the corresponding y values. These pairs of (x, y) points can then be plotted on a graph, and a straight line can be drawn through them to visually represent the linear relationship defined by the equation.

User Peter Lamberg
by
8.2k points

No related questions found

Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.

9.4m questions

12.2m answers

Categories