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What is the equation of the line that passes through the points (4,3) and (6, 2)?​

User Jmmygoggle
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5 votes

Answer:

y = -1/2 x + 5

Explanation:

1) y = mx + b

2) m is the slope and b is the y-intercept

3) For lines like these, the slope is always defined as "the change in y over the change in x" or, in equation form: m = y2 - y1 / x2 - x1

4) Also, let's call the second point you gave, (6,2), point #2, so the x and y numbers here will be called x2 and y2. Or, x2=6 and y2=2.

5) Now, just plug the numbers into the formula for m above, like this: m = -1/2

6) So, we have the first piece to finding the equation of this line, and we can fill it into y=mx+b like this: y = -1/2 x + b

7) To find b, think about what your (x,y) points mean:

(4,3). When x of the line is 4, y of the line must be 3.

(6,2). When x of the line is 6, y of the line must be 2.

8) You can use either (x,y) point you want..the answer will be the same:

(4,3). y=mx+b or 3=-1/2 × 4+b, or solving for b: b=3-(-1/2)(4). b=5.

(6,2). y=mx+b or 2=-1/2 × 6+b, or solving for b: b=2-(-1/2)(6). b=5.

9) So, this means that the equation of the line is y = -1/2 x + 5

User Kyle Redfearn
by
8.3k points

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