What is the equation of the line between (3,-2) and (5,1)?

2 Answers
May 30, 2018

See a solution process below:

Explanation:

First, we need to determine the slope of the line. The formula for find the slope of a line is:

m = (color(red)(y_2) - color(blue)(y_1))/(color(red)(x_2) - color(blue)(x_1))

Where (color(blue)(x_1), color(blue)(y_1)) and (color(red)(x_2), color(red)(y_2)) are two points on the line.

Substituting the values from the points in the problem gives:

m = (color(red)(1) - color(blue)(-2))/(color(red)(5) - color(blue)(3)) = (color(red)(1) + color(blue)(2))/(color(red)(5) - color(blue)(3)) = 3/2

Now, we can use the point-slope formula to write an equation for the line. The point-slope form of a linear equation is:

(y - color(blue)(y_1)) = color(red)(m)(x - color(blue)(x_1))

Where (color(blue)(x_1), color(blue)(y_1)) is a point on the line and color(red)(m) is the slope.

Substituting the slope we calculated above and the values from the first point in the problem gives:

(y - color(blue)(-2)) = color(red)(3/2)(x - color(blue)(3))

(y + color(blue)(2)) = color(red)(3/2)(x - color(blue)(3))

We can also substitute the slope we calculated above and the values from the second point in the problem giving:

(y - color(blue)(1)) = color(red)(3/2)(x - color(blue)(5))

May 30, 2018

y=3/2x-13/2

Explanation:

m=(y_2-y_1)/(x_2-x_1)=(1+2)/(5-3)=3/2
So
y=3/2x+n
we have
1=15/2+n

so

n=-13/2