Math Problem Statement

What is an equation of the line that passes through the points left parenthesis, minus, 4, comma, 2, right parenthesis(−4,2) and left parenthesis, minus, 8, comma, minus, 2, right parenthesis(−8,−2)?

Solution

To find the equation of the line that passes through the points (4,2)(-4, 2) and (8,2)(-8, -2), we can use the point-slope form of the equation of a line:

yy1=m(xx1)y - y_1 = m(x - x_1)

First, we need to calculate the slope mm using the formula:

m=y2y1x2x1m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}

Substituting the coordinates (4,2)(-4, 2) as (x1,y1)(x_1, y_1) and (8,2)(-8, -2) as (x2,y2)(x_2, y_2):

m=228(4)=44=1m = \frac{-2 - 2}{-8 - (-4)} = \frac{-4}{-4} = 1

Now that we have the slope m=1m = 1, we can use the point-slope form. Let's use the point (4,2)(-4, 2) for (x1,y1)(x_1, y_1):

y2=1(x(4))y - 2 = 1(x - (-4))

Simplifying:

y2=x+4y - 2 = x + 4

Adding 2 to both sides to get the equation in slope-intercept form y=mx+by = mx + b:

y=x+6y = x + 6

So, the equation of the line that passes through the points (4,2)(-4, 2) and (8,2)(-8, -2) is:

y=x+6y = x + 6

Would you like more details on any step? Here are some related questions:

  1. How do you find the slope if you have different coordinates?
  2. What is the point-slope form of a line equation?
  3. How can you convert between different forms of linear equations?
  4. What is the importance of the slope in a linear equation?
  5. How can you check if a point lies on a given line?

Tip: To verify your result, you can substitute the coordinates of both points into the final equation to ensure they satisfy it.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Algebra
Linear Equations
Coordinate Geometry

Formulas

Slope formula m = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1)
Point-slope form y - y1 = m(x - x1)
Slope-intercept form y = mx + b

Theorems

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Suitable Grade Level

Grades 8-10