what is the equation of the line that passes through the point (8,3) and has a slope of -1/2

Answer 1

This is a typical use of the point-slope formula:

y - y0 = m(x - x0).

In this case, m = -1/2, x0 = 8, and y0 = 3.

and thus,

y - 3 = -1/2*(x - 8), or, simplifying...

y - 3 = -1/2 * x -1/2 * -8, (distributive rule of multiplication over addition)

y - 3 = -1/2 * x + 4, or

y = -1/2 * x + 4 + 3, or

y = -1/2 * x + 7, this is the answer