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Point-slope form review

Review point-slope form and how to use it to solve problems.

What is point-slope form?

Point-slope is a specific form of linear equations in two variables:
yb=m(xa)
When an equation is written in this form, m gives the slope of the line and (a,b) is a point the line passes through.
This form is derived from the slope formula.
Want to learn more about point-slope form? Check out this video.

Finding point-slope equation from features or graph

Example 1: Equation from slope and point

Suppose we want to find the equation of the line that passes through (1,5) and whose slope is 2. Well, we simply plug m=2, a=1, and b=5 into point-slope form!
y5=2(x1)

Example 2: Equation from two points

Suppose we want to find the line that passes through the points (1,4) and (6,19). First, we use the two points to find the slope:
Slope=19461 =155=3
Now we use one of the points, let's take (1,4), and write the equation in point-slope:
y4=3(x1)
Problem 1
Write the point-slope equation of the line that passes through (7,3) whose slope is 2.

Want to try more problems like this? Check out this exercise.

Finding features and graph from point-slope equation

When we have a linear equation in point-slope form, we can quickly find the slope of the corresponding line and a point it passes through. This also allows us to graph it.
Consider the equation y1=2(x3). We can tell that the corresponding line passes through (3,1) and has a slope of 2. Now we can graph the line:
A first quadrant coordinate plane. The x- and y-axes each scale by one. The equation y minus one equals two times the difference of x minus three is graphed and labeled. The points three, one and four, three are plotted. There is a horizontal segment from three, one to four, one that is labeled plus one. There is a vertical segment from four, one to four, three that is labeled plus two.
Problem 1
What is the slope of the line y5=4(x8)?
  • Your answer should be
  • an integer, like 6
  • a simplified proper fraction, like 3/5
  • a simplified improper fraction, like 7/4
  • a mixed number, like 1 3/4
  • an exact decimal, like 0.75
  • a multiple of pi, like 12 pi or 2/3 pi
The line passes through which point?
Choose 1 answer:

Want to join the conversation?

  • starky ultimate style avatar for user Simmy :)
    In school I learned it as y-y1=m(x-x1). Is it this just another way to write the same thing? Thank you
    (43 votes)
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  • blobby green style avatar for user Natia Island
    what is the slope of the line through (1,0) and (3,8)?
    (10 votes)
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  • blobby green style avatar for user ogeise001
    how do you get that answer for number 2
    (7 votes)
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    • blobby blue style avatar for user joshua
      What do you mean for number 2? I guess I'll just explain both problems here.

      Write the point-slope equation of the line that passes through (7,3) whose slope is 2.

      This is pretty straightforward, since point-slope form requires you to just substitute values in order to form the equation.
      Answer: y - 3 = 2(x - 7)

      Write the point-slope equation of the line that passes through (3,5) and (7,1).

      To solve this, you need to find the slope first. Slope for line connecting (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) is
      (y1 - y2) / (x1 - x2).
      Answer: y - 5 = -(x - 3) or y - 1 = -(x - 7)

      What is the slope of the line y - 5 = -4(x - 8)?

      Since both coefficient for both x and y are 1, you don't have to consider anything complicated.

      To know which point does the line pass through, just substitute for x and y and compare L.H.S. with R.H.S.
      Answer: -4 (8, 5)

      Graph y - 7 = -3(x - 1)

      There are many ways to do this, such as setting a point and doing some calculation but I will use another way. Recall slope is equal to change of y-coordinate for every one unit change in the x-coordinate. So if the slope is -3, it means for every 1 unit increase in x-coordinate, y-coordinate will reduce by 3 unit (-3). So we just take the point provided in the equation (1, 7) and take another point (1 + 1, 7 - 3) = (2, 4)
      (30 votes)
  • blobby green style avatar for user bollesa
    So this is basically (change in y)=(slope)(change in x)?
    (6 votes)
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  • duskpin ultimate style avatar for user hannah.mcgregor
    I understand how this can create an equation, but not how it could be solved to an answer with two unknowns. If it can't be solved, what is the purpose exactly?
    Thanks, Lilly
    (4 votes)
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  • blobby green style avatar for user taisiya Matev
    What does it mean when the slope is simply - and you are trying to graph an equation?
    (5 votes)
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    • duskpin tree style avatar for user Jacob Beauvais
      When the slope is . you should have to find it. You want to set up the problem like this:
      (-1,3) (-2,5)
      y-3=2(x-1) (answer)
      The 3 represents the y axis, and the -1 represents the x axis. you can interchange with the 2nd coordinate point. The 2 represents the slope. You can find the slope with slope-intercept form. Hope this helped.
      (7 votes)
  • piceratops seed style avatar for user mcdonand001
    What is the slope of a line that passes through the points (1,3)(1,3)left parenthesis, 1, comma, 3, right parenthesis and (7,5)(7,5)left parenthesis, 7, comma, 5, right parenthesis in the xyxyx, y-plane?
    (5 votes)
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    • stelly blue style avatar for user Kim Seidel
      Your post is unreadable in its current form. It looks like you need to find the slope and you have 2 points.
      1) Label one point as (x1, y1) and the other point as (x2,y2)
      2) Then use the slope formula: m = (y2-y1)/(x2-x1). Take each values from your points and put them into the corresponding variable in the formula.
      3) Then, do the math to simplify the fraction. The result will be your slope.
      (3 votes)
  • aqualine ultimate style avatar for user Violeta 😾
    Im confused on how to find slope. any tips anyone?
    (4 votes)
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  • blobby green style avatar for user ss1309996
    One line passes through the points \blueD{(-8,1)}(−8,1)start color #11accd, left parenthesis, minus, 8, comma, 1, right parenthesis, end color #11accd and \blueD{(4,4)}(4,4)start color #11accd, left parenthesis, 4, comma, 4, right parenthesis, end color #11accd. Another line passes through points \greenD{(-9,-7)}(−9,−7)start color #1fab54, left parenthesis, minus, 9, comma, minus, 7, right parenthesis, end color #1fab54 and \greenD{(9,-3)}(9,−3)start color #1fab54, left parenthesis, 9, comma, minus, 3, right parenthesis, end color #1fab54.
    Are the lines parallel, perpendicular, or neither
    (4 votes)
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  • aqualine ultimate style avatar for user annabethlu
    In point-slope form, what do y and x represent in the formula y−b=m(x−a)? Thanks!
    (3 votes)
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