Graphing Lines by X and Y-Intercepts

How to graph a line using the x and y intercepts?

1. The x-intercept is the point on the graph where the line crosses the x-axis. To find the x-intercept replace y with 0 in the equation and solve for x.
   
2. The y-intercept is the point on the graph where the line crosses the x-axis. To find the y-intercept replace x with 0 in the equation and solve for y.
   
3. Plot the x-intercept and the y-intercept.
   
4. Join the two points with a line to form the graph.
   

Coordinate Geometry Worksheets
Practice your skills with the following worksheets:
Printable & Online Coordinate Geometry Worksheets

Example: Graph the line 3x+2y=6
a. x-intercept: Set y=0:
3x+2(0)=6
3x=6
x=2. Plot the point (2, 0).
b. y-intercept: Set x=0:
3(0)+2y=6
2y=6
y=3. Plot the point (0, 3).
c. Draw the line: Draw a line through (2, 0) and (0, 3).

Special Cases:
Horizontal Lines: Equations of the form y=c (where ‘c’ is a constant) are horizontal lines passing through the point (0, c). The slope is 0.
Vertical Lines: Equations of the form x=c (where ‘c’ is a constant) are vertical lines passing through the point (c, 0). The slope is undefined.

Graphing Lines using the x-intercept and y-intercept
How to find the x and y intercepts of a line, and how to plot those points to graph the line.

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Shows more examples of how to graph lines by making a table or chart of ordered pairs, or using the x and y intercept method. It also shows how to decide which method is easiest for a given equation.

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Graphing Lines Using Intercepts

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Learn to graph a given linear equation using the intercept method. The x-intercept is the point on the graph where the line crosses the x-axis, so the x-intercept will always have a y-coordinate of 0, and the y-intercept is the point on the graph where the line crosses the y-axis, so the y-intercept will always have an x-coordinate of 0.

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