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Thought for Today
Here are some important points about the intercept form of a straight line:
- The intercept form of a straight line is given by: x/a + y/b = 1, where a is the x-intercept and b is the y-intercept.
- The x-intercept is the point where the line crosses the x-axis, and its coordinates are (a, 0).
- The y-intercept is the point where the line crosses the y-axis, and its coordinates are (0, b).
- If a is zero, the line is vertical and parallel to the y-axis. If b is zero, the line is horizontal and parallel to the x-axis.
- The slope of the line can be calculated from the intercepts as follows: slope = -b/a.
- If the equation of the line is given in standard form (Ax + By = C), we can find the intercepts by setting x = 0 and solving for y to find the y-intercept, and setting y = 0 and solving for x to find the x-intercept.
- The intercept form of the equation is useful in graphing straight lines, as it makes it easy to find the intercepts and plot them on the coordinate plane.
- The intercept form is not unique, as there are infinite lines that can pass through any two distinct points in the plane. However, the intercept form is useful for describing a particular line that passes through a given pair of intercepts.