Section 3.5 Slope-Intercept Form
In this section, we will explore the most common way to write the equation of a line. Itβs known as βslope-intercept formβ.
Subsection 3.5.1 Slope-Intercept Definition
Recall Example 3.4.5, where Yara started with in her savings account, and from then on deposited each week. In that example, we used to represent how many weeks have passed. After weeks, Yara has added dollars. Since she started with she now has
In this example, there is a constant rate of change of dollars per week, so we call that the slope. We also saw in Figure 3.4.7 that plotting Yaraβs balance over time makes a straight-line graph.
The graph of Yaraβs savings has some things in common with almost every straight-line graph. There is a slope, and there is a place where the line crosses the -axis. Figure 3 illustrates this in the abstract.
We already have a symbol, for the slope of a line. That other feature, where the line crosses the -intercept is of interest to us now. The -intercept of a line is a point where the line crosses the -axis. Since itβs on the -axis, the -coordinate of this point is It is standard to call the point the -intercept, and call the number the β -coordinate of the -interceptβ. It is almost inevitable that people will find this too wordy, and will call the -intercept. But technically, the -intercept is
Checkpoint 3.5.4.
Use Figure 3.4.7 to answer this question.
One way to write the equation for Yaraβs savings was
Definition 3.5.5. Slope-Intercept Form.
When and have a linear relationship where is the slope and is the -intercept, one equation for this relationship is
and this equation is called the slope-intercept form of the line. It is called this because the slope and -intercept are immediately discernible from the numbers in the equation.
Checkpoint 3.5.6.
What are the slope and -intercept for each of the following line equations?
Equation | Slope |
|
Explanation.
In the first three equations, simply read the slope according to slope-intercept form. The slopes are and
The fourth equation was written with the terms not in the slope-intercept form order. It could be written and then it is clear that its slope is In any case, the slope is the coefficient of
The fifth equation is also written with the terms not in the slope-intercept form order. Changing the order of the terms, it could be written but this still does not match the pattern of slope-intercept form. Considering how fraction multiplication works, So we can write this equation as and we see the slope is
The last two equations could be written and allowing us to read their slopes as and
For the -intercepts, remember that we are expected to answer using an ordered pair not just a single number We can simply read that the first two -intercepts are and
The third equation does not exactly match the slope-intercept form, until you view it as and then you can see that its -intercept is
With the fourth equation, after rewriting it as we can see that its -intercept is
We already explored rewriting the fifth equation as where we can see that its -intercept is
The last two equations could be written and allowing us to read their -intercepts as and
Alternatively, we know that -intercepts happen where and substituting into each equation gives you the -value of the -intercept.
Remark 3.5.7.
The number is the -value when Therefore it is common to refer to as the initial value or starting value of a linear relationship.
Subsection 3.5.2 Graphing Slope-Intercept Equations
Example 3.5.8.
With a simple equation like we can see that this is a line whose slope is and which has initial value So starting at on the -axis, each time we increase the -value by the -value increases by With these basic observations, we can quickly produce a table and/or a graph.
start on |
initial |
||
increase by |
increase |
||
increase by |
increase |
||
increase by |
increase |
||
increase by |
increase |
Example 3.5.9.
The conversion formula for a Celsius temperature into Fahrenheit is This appears to be in slope-intercept form, except that and are replaced with and Suppose you are asked to graph this equation. How will you proceed? You could make a table of values as we did in Example 8 but that takes time and effort. Since the equation is in slope-intercept form, there is a better way.
Since this equation is for converting a Celsius temperature to a Fahrenheit temperature, it makes sense to let be the horizontal axis variable and be the vertical axis variable. Note the slope is and the vertical intercept (here, the -intercept) is
- Set up the axes using an appropriate window and labels. Considering the freezing temperature of water (
Celsius or Fahrenheit), and the boiling temperature of water ( Celsius or Fahrenheit), itβs reasonable to let run through at least to and run through at least to - Plot the
-intercept, which is at - Starting at the
-intercept, use slope triangles to reach the next point. Since our slope is that suggests a βrunβ of and a βriseβ of might work. But as Figure 10 indicates, such slope triangles are too tiny. You can actually use any fraction equivalent to to plot using the slope, as in or which all reduce to Given the size of our graph, we will use to plot points, where we will try a βrunβ of and a βriseβ of - Connect your points with a straight line, use arrowheads, and label the equation.
Example 3.5.11.
Graph
Checkpoint 3.5.13.
Graph
Explanation.
Mark the -intercept at and then use slope triangles that travel forward unit and up
Subsection 3.5.3 Writing a Slope-Intercept Equation Given a Graph
We can write a linear equation in slope-intercept form based on its graph. We need to be able to calculate the lineβs slope and see its -intercept.
Checkpoint 3.5.14.
Use the graph to write an equation of the line in slope-intercept form.
Explanation.
On the line, pick two points with easy-to-read integer coordinates so that we can calculate slope. It doesnβt matter which two points we use; the slope will be the same.
With the slope and -intercept found, we can write the lineβs equation:
Checkpoint 3.5.15.
The boiling temperature of water depends on what the surrounding air pressure is. Scientists measured the boiling point of water under various amounts of pressure and plotted the results below. Then they added a βline of best fitβ.
Write an equation for this line in slope-intercept form.
Explanation.
Do your best to identify two points on the line.
Estimating the -intercept to be at we have
Subsection 3.5.4 Writing a Slope-Intercept Equation Given Two Points
Any two points uniquely determine a line. Once you identify two points, there is a process to find the slope-intercept form of the equation of the line that connects them.
Example 3.5.16.
Explanation.
Our goal is to write with specific numbers for and The first step is to find the slope, To do this, recall the slope formula from Section 4. It says that if a line passes through the points and then the slope is found by the formula Applying this to our two points and we see that the slope is:
We are trying to write Since we already found the slope, we know that we want to write but we need a specific number for We happen to know that one point on this line is which is on the -axis because its -value is So is this lineβs -intercept, and therefore So our equation is
Example 3.5.17.
Explanation.
Now that we have the slope, we can write or more simply: Unlike in Example 16, we are not given the value of because neither of our two given points have an -value of To find remember that we have two points that we already know should make the equation true! This means we can substitute either point into the equation (for the and the ) and solve for Letβs arbitrarily choose to substitute in.
We conclude that the slope-intercept line equation is
Checkpoint 3.5.18.
Explanation.
We first find the slope between our two points: and Using the slope formula, we have:
Now we can write and to find we need look no further than one of the given points: The value of is So, the slope-intercept form of the line is
Checkpoint 3.5.19.
Explanation.
First find the slope through our points: and
At this point we have Now we need to solve for since neither of the points given to us were the vertical intercept. To do this, we choose one of the two points and plug it into our equation. We choose
So we have
Subsection 3.5.5 Modeling with Slope-Intercept Form
We can model many relationships using slope-intercept form, and then solve related questions using algebra. Here are a few examples.
Example 3.5.20.
Uber is a ride-sharing company. Its pricing in Portland factors in how much time and how many miles a trip takes. But if you assume that rides average out at a speed of 30 mph, then their pricing scheme boils down to a base of for the trip, plus per mile. Use a slope-intercept equation and algebra to answer these questions.
- How much is the fare if a trip is
miles long? - With
available to you, how long of a trip can you afford?
Explanation.
The rate of change (slope) is per mile, and the starting value is So the slope-intercept equation is
In this equation, stands for the number of miles in a trip, and stands for the amount of money to be charged.
If a trip is miles long, we substitute into the equation and we have:
And the -mile ride will cost you about (We say βaboutβ, because this was all assuming you average 30 mph.)
Next, to find how long of a trip would cost we substitute into the equation and solve for
So with you could afford a little more than a -mile trip.
Checkpoint 3.5.21.
In a certain wildlife reservation in Africa, there are approximately elephants. Sadly, the population has been decreasing by elephants per year. Use a slope-intercept equation and algebra to answer these questions.
- If the trend continues, what would the elephant population be
years from now? - If the trend continues, how many years will it be until the elephant population dwindles to
Explanation.
The rate of change (slope) is elephants per year. Notice that since we are losing elephants, the slope is a negative number. The starting value is elephants. So the slope-intercept equation is
In this equation, stands for a number of years into the future, and stands for the elephant population. To estimate the elephant population years later, we substitute in the equation with and we have:
So if the trend continues, there would be elephants on this reservation 15 years later.
Next, to find when the elephant population would decrease to we substitute in the equation with and solve for
So if the trend continues, years later, the elephant population would dwindle to
Reading Questions 3.5.6 Reading Questions
1.
How does βslope-intercept formβ get its name?
2.
What are two phrases you can use for β β in a slope-intercept form line equation?
3.
Explain the two basic steps to graphing a line when you have the equation in slope-intercept form. (Not counting the step where you draw and label the axes and ticks.)
Exercises 3.5.7 Exercises
Skills Practice
Identifying Slope and -Intercept.
Find the lineβs slope and -intercept.
Graphs and Slope-Intercept Form.
In the given graph, what is the lineβs slope-intercept equation?
Graph Equations.
Graph the equation.
Writing a Slope-Intercept Equation Given Two Points.
A line passes through the two given points. Find the lineβs equation in slope-intercept form.
Applications
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67.
A certain country has million acres of forest. Every year, the country loses million acres of forest mainly due to deforestation for farming purposes. If this situation continues at this pace, how many years later will the country have only million acres of forest left? (Use an equation to solve this problem.)
After years, this country would have million acres of forest left.
68.
69.
By your cell phone contract, you pay a monthly fee plus for each minute you spend on the phone. In one month, you spent minutes over the phone, and had a bill totaling
Let be the number of minutes you spend on the phone in a month, and let be your total cell phone bill for that month, in dollars. Use a linear equation to model your monthly bill based on the number of minutes you spend on the phone.
- This lineβs slope-intercept equation is .
- If you spend
minutes on the phone in a month, you would be billed . - If your bill was
one month, you must have spent minutes on the phone in that month.
70.
A company set aside a certain amount of money in the year 2000. The company spent exactly from that fund each year on perks for its employees. In there was still left in the fund.
Let be the number of years since 2000, and let be the amount of money, in dollars, left in the fund that year. Use a linear equation to model the amount of money left in the fund after so many years.
- The linear modelβs slope-intercept equation is .
- In the year
there was left in the fund. - In the year , the fund will be empty.
71.
A biologist has been observing a treeβs height. This type of tree typically grows by feet each month. Fourteen months into the observation, the tree was feet tall.
Let be the number of months passed since the observations started, and let be the treeβs height at that time, in feet. Use a linear equation to model the treeβs height as the number of months pass.
- This lineβs slope-intercept equation is .
months after the observations started, the tree would be feet in height.- months after the observation started, the tree would be
feet tall.
72.
Scientists are conducting an experiment with a gas in a sealed container. The mass of the gas is measured, and the scientists realize that the gas is leaking over time in a linear way. Each minute, they lose grams. Six minutes since the experiment started, the remaining gas had a mass of grams.
Let be the number of minutes that have passed since the experiment started, and let be the mass of the gas in grams at that moment. Use a linear equation to model the weight of the gas over time.
- This lineβs slope-intercept equation is .
minutes after the experiment started, there would be grams of gas left.- If a linear model continues to be accurate, minutes since the experiment started, all gas in the container will be gone.
73.
A company set aside a certain amount of money in the year 2000. The company spent exactly the same amount from that fund each year on perks for its employees. In there was still left in the fund. In there was left.
Let be the number of years since 2000, and let be the amount of money, in dollars, left in the fund that year. Use a linear equation to model the amount of money left in the fund after so many years.
- The linear modelβs slope-intercept equation is .
- In the year
there was left in the fund. - In the year , the fund will be empty.
74.
By your cell phone contract, you pay a monthly fee plus some money for each minute you use the phone during the month. In one month, you spent minutes on the phone, and paid In another month, you spent minutes on the phone, and paid
Let be the number of minutes you talk over the phone in a month, and let be your cell phone bill, in dollars, for that month. Use a linear equation to model your monthly bill based on the number of minutes you talk over the phone.
- This linear modelβs slope-intercept equation is .
- If you spent
minutes over the phone in a month, you would pay . - If in a month, you paid
of cell phone bill, you must have spent minutes on the phone in that month.
75.
Scientists are conducting an experiment with a gas in a sealed container. The mass of the gas is measured, and the scientists realize that the gas is leaking over time in a linear way.
Seven minutes since the experiment started, the gas had a mass of grams.
Eleven minutes since the experiment started, the gas had a mass of grams.
Let be the number of minutes that have passed since the experiment started, and let be the mass of the gas in grams at that moment. Use a linear equation to model the weight of the gas over time.
- This lineβs slope-intercept equation is .
minutes after the experiment started, there would be grams of gas left.- If a linear model continues to be accurate, minutes since the experiment started, all gas in the container will be gone.
76.
A biologist has been observing a treeβs height. months into the observation, the tree was feet tall. months into the observation, the tree was feet tall.
Let be the number of months passed since the observations started, and let be the treeβs height at that time, in feet. Use a linear equation to model the treeβs height as the number of months pass.
- This lineβs slope-intercept equation is .
months after the observations started, the tree would be feet in height.- months after the observation started, the tree would be
feet tall.
Challenge
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