This is math homework and I need a step by step walk through information how to start it

Question

so I need help on figuring out how to start to solve this, m= 3/4 (fraction) and b= (-4,-4). Thank you :)

Answer 1

It says b = (-4,-4)? That doesn't make sense. Slope-intercept form is y = mx + b, where b = the y intercept. The y intercept is where x = 0 and it hits the y line. Therefore, the point would be (0, y). So (-4,-4) cannot be b.

 

I could guess two things.  One, it's a typo and you meant (0,-4) which would be the point of the y intercept, but the y intercept (b) actually equals -4, i.e. we'd say b = -4.  Or you could mean the point (-4,-4) is a point in the line, but that would not be b.  And it will make a big difference.

 

What I can tell you is that the slope of 3/4 means for every 3 spaces up, you will move 4 spaces to the right.  The fraction is "rise over run," or (y₁ - y₀) / (x₁ - x₀).  That is, the change in y over the change in x.

 

So 3 is the change in y, and 4 is the change in x.  Since the 3 is positive you move up 3 spaces, and since the 4 is positive you move right 4 spaces.  And that would be another point.

 

If we pretend for a minute that (-4,-4) is one point, then moving up 3 gets us to -1, and moving right 4 gets us to 0, so we would be at (0,-1).  In this case, the -1 is your y intercept.

 

But without knowing what you're meaning by b = (-4,-4) there's no way to give a definitive answer to that, only a few basic concepts.