This week in Math 10 I learned how to determine the x and y-intercepts of a graph. 

Example 1: 

When looking at a graph there should be a horizontal line, the x-axis, and a vertical line, the y-axis. Graphs have four quadrants, quadrant 1 is the top right corner of the graph, quadrant 2 is the top left corner, quadrant 3 is the bottom right corner, and quadrant 4 is the bottom right corner, and the very center of the graph is the origin point. When reading coordinates, it is always safe to assume that the first number represented is the x-axis and the second is the y-axis as coordinates are written like, (x,y). You must always place brackets around coordinates as some places in the world use commas as decimal points. By looking at this graph we can determine the x and y-intercepts by starting at the origin point ad looking to the right. The coordinates we have found are for the x-intercept which is (2,0). By looking lower on the graph, we can identify the y-intercept coordinates and see that they are (0,-4). 

 

Example 2:  

Continuing with what we have learned about graphing instead of being given set coordinates we will now use an equation to determine the coordinates of our equation. Our equation is y=-0.5x+8. Now the easiest coordinates to find first are the x and y-intercepts. The x and y-intercepts of a graph are where one of the coordinates is placed on either the x or y-axis. Now to find the x-axis we will begin by turning the y into 0. Our equation should now look like this, 0=-0.5x+8. Now we must minus 8 from the right and left sides of the equation which leaves us with –8=0.5x. Now we must divide both sides of the equation by 0.5 to get x by itself. Which leaves us with x=16. Now to get the y-axis we will start by making the x 0 so our equation should look like y=0.5(0) +8. Because 0.5(0) is 0 y is 8. SO now we know that our x-intercept is (16,0) and our y-intercept is (0,8).