What is the equation of a line that is parallel to y=-1/2x+18 and passes through (8,-7)

Question

What is the equation of a line that is parallel to y=-1/2x+18 and passes through (8,-7)

Answer 1

Hello Katie,

Two parallel lines have the same slope, so the slope of the line you're trying to find is also m = -1/2

Now: the equation of that line is of the form: y = (-1/2)*x + b. To find b for this specific line, you want to plug (8,-7) in that equation, then solve for b:

-7 = (-1/2)*8 + b

so: -7 = -4 + b

Add 4 to both sides: -3 = b

Now that you have b, the equation of the line that is parallel to y=-1/2x+18 and passes through (8,-7) is complete:

y = (-1/2)*x - 3