Chapter 2: Problem 24
Find an equation of the line that satisfies the given conditions. \(x\) -intercept \(-8 ; \quad y\) -intercept 6
Short Answer
Expert verified
The equation of the line is \( 3x - 4y = 24 \).
Step by step solution
01
Understand Intercepts and Equation Form
To find the equation of a line given the intercepts, recall that a line with intercepts has the general form: \( \frac{x}{a} + \frac{y}{b} = 1 \), where \(a\) is the \(x\)-intercept and \(b\) is the \(y\)-intercept.
02
Substitute Intercepts into Formula
Given \(x\)-intercept \(-8\) and \(y\)-intercept \(6\), substitute these values into the formula: \( \frac{x}{-8} + \frac{y}{6} = 1 \).
03
Clear Fractions
Clear the fractions in the equation by multiplying every term by the least common multiple of the denominators, which is 24. The equation becomes: \( 3x - 4y = 24 \).
04
Simplify the Equation
The equation \( 3x - 4y = 24 \) is already simplified and represents the line with the given intercepts.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
x-intercept
The x-intercept of a line is where the line crosses the x-axis. At this point, the value of y is zero because it's on the x-axis. Thus, you solve for the x-coordinate while the y-coordinate is zero. In the equation of a line with intercepts, the x-intercept is represented by 'a' in the formula:
\[ \frac{x}{a} + \frac{y}{b} = 1 \]
In our example, substituting y = 0 in the equation \( 3x - 4y = 24 \), we end up confirming that at \( x = -8 \), the line crosses the x-axis.
\[ \frac{x}{a} + \frac{y}{b} = 1 \]
- Essentially, when you set y to 0 in the equation, you find when x equals the x-intercept.
- This gives a clear point on the graph, here it is (-8, 0).
- An important factor to remember is that the x-intercept can be negative, zero, or positive, depending on which direction the line crosses the x-axis.
In our example, substituting y = 0 in the equation \( 3x - 4y = 24 \), we end up confirming that at \( x = -8 \), the line crosses the x-axis.
y-intercept
The y-intercept is the point where the line crosses the y-axis, which occurs when the x-value is zero. Therefore, substitute x = 0 into your linear equation to uncover the y-intercept. The y-intercept is shown as 'b' in the intercept formula:
\[ \frac{x}{a} + \frac{y}{b} = 1 \]
\[ \frac{x}{a} + \frac{y}{b} = 1 \]
- Setting x to 0 allows you to directly find the y-value where the line meets the y-axis.
- For this reason, the y-intercept is always of the form (0, b).
- Here, our y-intercept is (0, 6).
- The y-intercept tells you where the line will intersect with the vertical axis on the graph.
equation of a line
The equation of a line refers to the mathematical representation that describes every point on the line. For lines with specific intercepts, we use the formula:
\[ \frac{x}{a} + \frac{y}{b} = 1 \]where 'a' and 'b' are the x-intercept and y-intercept respectively.
\[ \frac{x}{a} + \frac{y}{b} = 1 \]where 'a' and 'b' are the x-intercept and y-intercept respectively.
- This equation allows a simple and efficient way to derive a line just from knowing where it crosses the axes.
- Given the intercepts, replace 'a' with the x-intercept and 'b' with the y-intercept to find the equation.
- For example, substituting \(-8\) for 'a' and \(6\) for 'b', we have \( \frac{x}{-8} + \frac{y}{6} = 1 \).
- Multiplying through by the least common multiple of the denominators often helps simplify the fractional form into a linear equation: here, it's \( 3x - 4y = 24 \).