Drew says the equation for the line is y=5x-3. Matt says the equation should be -5x+y=-3. Who is correct and why?

1 answer

Both Drew and Matt are correct.

Drew is correct because he has written the equation in slope-intercept form, y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept. In this case, the slope is 5 and the y-intercept is -3.

Matt is also correct because he has written the equation in standard form, Ax + By = C, where A, B, and C are constants. By rearranging Drew's equation, we get -5x + y = -3, which is equivalent to Matt's equation.

Both forms of the equation are mathematically equivalent and represent the same line.