Question

Graphing linear equations

Why would I do standard form on y=2x+4 but have to do slope intercept form on y= -1/2x - 5

Answer 1

To ensure uniformity on an exam

Or

To test whether you can distinguish between the two formats

Explanation:

Standard form is when a straight line equation is rearranged in the form:

`ax + by = c`

Therefore y=2x+4 in standard form is

`2x - y = - 4`

The slope-intercept form is when a a straight line equation is written in the form:

`y = mx + c`

where m is the slope and c is the y-intercept.

The given equation is

`y = - (1)/(2) x - 5`

This is already in slope-intercept form:

The standard form and slope-intercept forms are just formats.

Your instructor may restrict you to leave your answer in one of these formats maybe for uniformity on a test.

You may also decide to rewrite an equation in slope-intercept form, so that you can easily identify the slope and y-intercept easily for graphing purpose.