The following interaction explores both slope and intercept. The goal is to change the slope and intercept in the equation below to get the magenta line to go directly through the red squares. A starting equation of y = -1 x + 1 is given. Change the -1 slope and/or the + 1 intercept to try to get the line to go through both red squares. To change the sign on the variable term, select the whole term and press the minus sign key on the keyboard.
Turn in to the instructor the solution to the above equation. Other coordinates can be substituted into A and B above to create alternate coordinates to aim the line through.
LiveMath note for LiveMath owners: The colored x and y axes were produced by copying the line definition inside the graph details. These line definitions can be copied and pasted and then altered to produce the effect seen. This is why there is no equation generating these axes, and is also an example of how to graph a vertical line without resorting to an implicit definition.
Developed by Dana Lee Ling with the support and funding of a U.S. Department of Education Title III grant and the support of the College of Micronesia - FSM. Notebook material ©1999 College of Micronesia - FSM. For further information on this site, contact dleeling@comfsm.fm. Designed and run on a Gateway GP6-350 with 64 MB RAM, Windows 98 OS using MathView 2.5, Microsoft FrontPage 98, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0. All equipment and software purchased through a U.S. Dept. of Education Title III grant.