How do you find the slope of #5x + 3y = -2#?

1 Answer
Jun 25, 2016

slope #=-5/3#

Explanation:

The equation of a line in #color(blue)"slope-intercept form"# is

#color(red)(|bar(ul(color(white)(a/a)color(black)(y=mx+b)color(white)(a/a)|)))#
where m represents the slope and b, the y-intercept.

The advantage to having the equation in this form is that m and b can be extracted 'easily'.

Rearrange 5x + 3y = - 2 into this form.

leave 5y on the left and move 5x to the right.

subtract 5x from both sides

#cancel(5x)+3y-cancel(5x)=-2-5xrArr3y=-2-5x#

now divide both sides by 3

#(cancel(3) y)/cancel(3)=-2/3-(5)/3 x#

#rArr"slope" =-5/3#