In the equation \( y = 4x + 3 \), the number 4 represents the slope of the line. The slope indicates how much \( y \) changes for a unit change in \( x \).
If the 4 changes to 2, the new equation becomes \( y = 2x + 3 \). In this case, the slope decreases from 4 to 2. This means that the line becomes less steep. Specifically, for every increase of 1 in \( x \), \( y \) increases by 2 instead of 4.
Here’s a summary of the effect:
- Original equation: \( y = 4x + 3 \) (slope of 4, steeper line)
- New equation: \( y = 2x + 3 \) (slope of 2, less steep line)
Thus, the change from 4 to 2 results in a less steep linear relationship between \( x \) and \( y \).