There are three forms in which you can write a linear equation.  The first form is Slope/

Intercept Form .  This form follows the equation y=mx+b.  In this equation, y represents

the y coordinate.  The m represents the slope of the line.  The x represents the x

coordinate .  The b represents the y-intercept , which is the point where the line crosses

the y axis.

Example: Write an equation for the line that has the given slope and y-intercept.
                 m=5 b=-3 < plug these numbers into the equation
                  The equation for this line would be: y=5x+-3 or y=5x-3

    The second form you can use is Point-Slope Form.  The equation for this form is

y-y1=m(x-x1) .  y1 and x1 represent the x and y coordinates .  x and y remain x

and y in this equation.

Example:  Write an equation in point slope form for a line that contains the                         points (9,3) and (10,4) .

                               1) Start by finding the slope of this line.  The slope is 1.
                           2) Plug the slope into the equation.  Now the equation is                                           y-y1=1(x-x1)
                           3) Pick one of the given points and plug in the x and y                                              coordinates.  
                           4) If you pick the point (9,3), the equation will be y-3=1(x-9).                                  This is the final answer.

                         
The third form you can use to write an equation is Standard Form.  The

equation for Standard Form is ax+by=c.  x=the x intercept. y=the y intercept.  

To solve this type of equation, let y=0 and solve for x to find the x intercept.  

Plot this point.  Then, find the y intercept by letting x=0 and solving for y.  Plot

this point and draw a line through both points.