Question

how do you identify the slope and y-intercept of a linear function?

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

y = mx + b

The slope-intercept form is a way to describe the equation of a straight line (a linear function). It appears in the form of

y

=

m

x

+

b

, where

m

and

b

are constants and

y

and

x

are variables. Scroll to the bottom of this explanation to see some examples of equations in slope intercept form.

In slope-intercept equations,

y

and

x

will always appear as

y

and

x

, because they are variables that describe the position of specific points on the graph.

m

and

b

describe features of the function that stay consistent no matter what

x

and

y

are.

Be careful: for an equation to be in lope-intercept form, the

y

must be by itself on its side of the equation. If there is a constant right before the

y

,

it must be divided out so that

y

is isolated.

y=mx+b

m=slope

y and x=varibales

b=constant

Image source: by Anusha Rahman

Slope

m

is the slope of the line. In slope-intercept form, it is the constant right before the

x

.

Slope can be positive or negative, so keep that in mind when you read slope-intercept equations.