Slope-Intercept Tutor Help
Stuck on slope-intercept? Review the core ideas, read answers to common questions, and send a question to a tutor.
1 Quick recap
y = mx + b names every non-vertical line: m is the slope, b is the y-intercept (0, b). Plot (0, b), step rise/run, and you have the graph. From two points, find m first, then solve for b with either point.
Core ideas
- y = mx + b: m = slope, b = y-intercept at (0, b).
- b is not the x-intercept — set y = 0 and solve for that.
- Negative slope falls left to right.
- Two points → m = (y2−y1)/(x2−x1), then b from one point.
- m = 0 gives a horizontal line y = b.
2 Questions students ask
The questions a tutor hears most about this skill.
Plot the intercept (0, −1). Then use the slope as a staircase: run 3 right, rise 2 up, and mark the second point. Draw the straight line through both. Fractions are friendlier as staircases than decimals.
Because b is where x = 0, which is the y-axis. The x-intercept is where y = 0 — a different question that needs solving: 0 = mx + b.
Run the full denominator: for m = 2/3, go right 3 and up 2 from (0, b). Integer denominators keep you on lattice points.
3 Ask a tutor
Stuck on a problem? Send it in — a tutor will walk you through it.