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

1 Answer
Oct 10, 2015

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#.