NAME: UNIT 5: ANALYTIC GEOMETRY date: ________

EQUATION OF A LINE

The equation of a line can be written in the slope y –intercept form: y =mx + b

“m” represents the _____________ “b” represents the _______________

Example 1: State the slope and y –intercept for each.

a) y  4 x  10 b) y  7 x  3
5

Slope: _______ y-intercept: _______ Slope: _______ y-intercept: ______

The equation of a line can also be written in Standard Form:

Ax  By  C  0
-where:
- A, B, C are integers
- A is positive
- There are no common factors between A, B ,C

c) 2x  3 y  6  0 d) 3x  5 y  7  0

Slope: _______ y-intercept: _______ Slope: _______ y-intercept: ______

 The value of the slope determines the steepness and direction of the line. The greater the magnitude the
steeper the line.

Compare the lines in order of steepness: __________________________________

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 Different forms of the equation of a Line
Recall: The equation of a line can also be written
in Standard Form: ______________

in slope y –intercept form: _____________

in point-slope form: ______________

To write an equation of a line in standard form you can use the slope formula _________________

Equation of a horizontal line _________

Passing through (a, b)

Equation of a vertical line _____________

Example 2: Write the equation of the line (in standard form) given:

a) m  5 and b  2 b) P(–4, 2) m=7

2
c) P(5, –2) m d) P(4, 1) m=0
3

e) P(–2, 3) m  undefined

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 Using Points to determine the equation of a Line

Example 3: Write the equation of a line passing through the points(−3, 2) 𝑎𝑛𝑑 (1, −10). Write the equation in
slope y-intercept form.

Example 4: If you hire Daminga’s Delicious Dinners to cater a party, it will cost $450 for 20 guests and $675
for 35 guests. Calculate the cost per person if the company charges a fixed cost; then find the
equation to represent this relation.

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 2
Example 5: The slope of a line passing through (3,2) and (k ,6) is . Determine the value of k
3

Writing an Equation of a Line

Recall: To find the equation of a line:
1. Determine the value of the slope (m),
2. Determine the value of the y- intercept (b)
3. State the equation of the line by substituting the value into the equation y= mx + b
4. Then rearrange the equation in the standard form

Example 6: Find the equation of the line in the standard form.

a) b)

c)

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 Example 7: The equation of a line is 2 x  y  k  0 . Find the value of k if the line passes through the point
(4, −2)

Example 8: Find the equation of the line in standard form that has an x-intercept of 6 and passes through the
point (2, 7)

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 Graphing Lines
Example 9:

A) Using Slope and y-intercepts

To graph an equation in the form y = mx + b:

Plot the y-intercept
Use “rise/run” to graph two more points
Join the three points together (don’t forget your arrows at the endpoints!)
Write the equation of the line

1
a) y x2
3
y





b) y  3x  5 




 x

2
c) y x           

           

5 
















d) 4 x  3 y  9  0


3
e) y  1  2( x  4) f) y2 ( x  0)
2

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 B) Horizontal and Vertical Lines

The equation y = b (where k is any number) represents a horizontal line through the point (a, b).
The equation x = a (where k is any number) represents a vertical line through the point (a, b).

Graph each of the following on the same set of axis.

a) 2 x  8  0 b) y  5  0 y








 x

                      






















Properties of horizontal Lines

 Their slope is always ____, since the ____ is 0.

 The equation of a horizontal line is always ______, where
________________
 A horizontal line will not have an ___ intercept unless it is the
__-axis.
 All horizontal lines are parallel to the __________
 All horizontal lines are perpendicular to the ____________

Properties of Vertical Lines

 Their slope is always ________, since the ____ is 0.
 The equation of a vertical line is always ______, where
________________
 A vertical line will not have an ___ intercept unless it is the
__-axis.
 All vertical lines are parallel to the __________
 All vertical lines are perpendicular to the ____________

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 Parallel and Perpendicular Lines
Two lines are parallel if they have the same slope. Y
Ex: m1= 2
m2= 2

Two lines are perpendicular if the slopes are negative reciprocals. Y

2
Ex: m1=
3
3
m2= X
2

The product of negative reciprocals is always equal to – 1.

Example 10: What is the slope of a line that is parallel to each line?
a) y = 2x + 1 b) 5x + y – 3 = 0

Example 11: What is the slope of a line that is perpendicular to each line?
a) y= 3x–3 b) 2x – 4y + 1 = 0
7

Example 12: Find the equation of the line (in standard form) that has a y-intercept of 10 and is parallel to
y  3x  7

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 Example 13: A line is perpendicular to the line y = 2x + 3 and has the same x-intercept as x + 3y + 10 = 0. Find
the equation of the line.

Example 14: Write an equation passing through (6,4) and

a) parallel to the x- axis b) perpendicular to the x- axis

Example 15: Write an equation passing through (3,2) and

a) parallel to the y-axis b) perpendicular to the y-axis

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