Question
Question: How do you write an equation of a line given no slope, \(\left( { - 3,\dfrac{3}{4}} \right)\)?...
How do you write an equation of a line given no slope, (−3,43)?
Solution
To solve the given question follow up the given step-by-step method to find an accurate solution. Slope is calculated by finding the ratio of the “vertical change” to the “horizontal change” between two distinct points on a line. Sometimes the ratio is expressed as a quotient, giving the same number for every two distinct points on the same line.
Complete step-by-step solution:
If no slope is given, we can let the slope = m
Given the point we can use the point-slope formula to write the equation for this problem. The point-slope formula states: (y−y1)=m(x−x1)
Where mis the slope and (x1y1) is a point the line passes through.
Substituting the values from the point in the problem and letting the slope equal mthe equation is:
(y−43)=m(x−(−3)) (y−43)=m(x+3)
Additional Information: In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a line is a number that describes both the direction and the steepness of the line. Slope is often denoted by the letter; there is no clear answer to the question why the letter mis used for slope, but its earliest use in English appears in O’Brien who wrote the equation of a straight line as “ y=mx+b” and it can also be found in Todhunter who wrote it as .
Note: The following mentioned are a few tips to solve the given question and other similar questions.
i) A line is increasing if it goes up from left to right. The slope is positive, i.e., m>0
ii) A line is decreasing if it goes down from left to right. The slope is negative, i.e., m<0
iii) If a line is vertical the slope is zero. This is a constant function.
iv) If a line is vertical the slope is undefined.