How do you graph #y=-1/3x+4#?

1 Answer
Jan 27, 2016

see explanation.

Explanation:

To draw a straight line requires 2 points , although 3 is better.

Aligning 3 points is more accurate than just having 2.

Find where the line crosses the axes :

When it crosses the y-axis , the x-coordinate will be zero.

By letting x = 0 and substituting into equation will give value of y.

x = 0 : y = 4 → point ( 0 , 4 )

Similarly for crossing the x-axis , let y = 0.

y = 0 : hence # -1/3 x + 4 = 0#

so x = 12 → ( 12 , 0 ) is a 2nd point.

For 3rd point choose any value for x and find y.

let x = 3 : y = - 1 + 4 = 3 → ( 3 , 3 ) is a 3rd point.

Now draw a straight line through the 3 points.

Here is an illustrative graph of the line.
graph{-1/3x+4 [-20, 20, -10, 10]}