A line has a slope of -3/7 and passes through the point (5,-1). What is the equation of the line in slope-intercept form?

1 answer

To find the equation of a line in slope-intercept form \(y = mx + b\), we need to use the given slope and a point on the line.

We are given:

  • Slope (\(m\)) = \(-\frac{3}{7}\)
  • Point = \((5, -1)\)

We can start by using the point to find the y-intercept (\(b\)). The slope-intercept form of the line is:

\[ y = mx + b \]

Substituting the values we have:

\[ -1 = -\frac{3}{7}(5) + b \]

Calculating \(-\frac{3}{7}(5)\):

\[ -\frac{3}{7} \times 5 = -\frac{15}{7} \]

Now, substitute this back into the equation:

\[ -1 = -\frac{15}{7} + b \]

Next, to isolate \(b\), we need to add \(-\frac{15}{7}\) to both sides:

\[ b = -1 + \frac{15}{7} \]

To perform this addition, we need to convert \(-1\) into a fraction with a denominator of 7:

\[ -1 = -\frac{7}{7} \]

Now we can combine the fractions:

\[ b = -\frac{7}{7} + \frac{15}{7} = \frac{-7 + 15}{7} = \frac{8}{7} \]

Now we have both the slope and the y-intercept:

  • Slope \(m = -\frac{3}{7}\)
  • Y-intercept \(b = \frac{8}{7}\)

The equation of the line in slope-intercept form is:

\[ y = -\frac{3}{7}x + \frac{8}{7} \]

Thus, the final answer is:

\[ \boxed{y = -\frac{3}{7}x + \frac{8}{7}} \]

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