Aline passes through the points (–6, 4) and (–2, 2). what is the equation of the line?

y = -1/2x + 1

work:

let's use slope intercept form, or y = mx + b to represent the equation. (m = slope, b = y-intercept)

first, let's find the slope, or m. to do this, subtract the y values over the x values.

4 - 2 / - 6 - - 2  (next: subtract the values)

2 / - 4 (next: simplify)

1 / -2 (next: write as a fraction)

-1/2

so, the slope is -1/2. let's place this into the equation.

y = -1/2x + b.

okay, so to find b, or the y intercept, plug a value for x and y into the equation and solve.

4 = -1/2(-6) + b  (next: multiply)

4 = 3 + b (next: subtract 3 from both sides)

1 = b

so, let's place that into our equation:

y = -1/2x + 1 , this is your complete equation.

hope this helps and have a great day!

example 2 – simplify: step 1: completely factor both the numerators and denominators of all fractions. step 2: change the division sign to a multiplication sign and flip (or reciprocate) the fraction after the division sign; essential you need to multiply by the reciprocal. step 3 : cancel or reduce the fractions.