Write an article based on this "Use the y=mx+b formula. Draw your graph. Find the y-intercept (b) on your graph. Find the slope. Draw your line."
To graph a linear equation, all you have to do it substitute in the variables in this formula. In the formula, you will be solving for (x,y). The variable m= slope. The slope is also noted as rise over run, or the number of points you travel up and over. In the formula, b= y-intercept. This is the place on your graph where the line will cross over the y-axis. Graphing a linear equation is the most simple, as you don't have to calculate any numbers prior to graphing. Simply draw your Cartesian coordinate plane. If we use the example of y=2x-1, we can see that '-1' is in the point on the equation where you would find 'b.' This makes '-1' the y-intercept. The y-intercept is always graphed with x=0. Therefore, the y-intercept coordinates are (0,-1). Place a point on your graph where the y-intercept should be. In the example of y=2x-1, the slope is the number where 'm' would be found. That means that according to our example, the slope is '2.' Slope, however, is the rise over run, so we need the slope to be a fraction. Because '2' is a whole number and a fraction, it is simply '2/1.' To graph the slope, begin at the y-intercept. The rise (number of spaces up) is the numerator of the fraction, while the run (number of spaces to the side) is the denominator of the fraction. In our example, we would graph the slope by beginning at -1, and then moving up 2 and to the right 1. A positive rise means that you will move up the y-axis, while a negative rise means you will move down. A positive run means you will move to the right of the x-axis, while a negative run means you will move to the left of the x-axis. You can mark as many coordinates using the slope as you would like, but you must mark at least one. Once you have marked at least one other coordinate using the slope, you can connect it with your y-intercept coordinate to form a line. Extend the line to the edges of the graph, and add arrow points to the ends to show that it continues infinitely.