Question

How do you write an equation in slope intercept form of the line with slope 1/2 that contains the point (-4, -3)?

Answer 1

We know that this is a straight line, so it will follow the slope intercept equation:

`y=mx+b`.

To solve this problem, we need to plug in the x and y values for one point to get b, and then we will know the equation for the line, which is valid for all points.

`x = -4`
`y = -3`
`m = 1/2`

Let's start by solving for b:
`b = y - mx`

Now we can plug in numbers:
`b = -3 - ( 1/2 times -4)`

`b = -3 - ( -2)`
`b = -3 +2`
`b = -1`

Now that we know m and b, we can plug into our original equation:

The equation is `y=1/2x-1`.