The average cost of tuition and fees at private four-year colleges was $16,200, and in 2005 it was $20,100. Sketch a line that passes through the points (2000, 16200) and (2005, 20100).
My question is - find the slope-intercept form of the line in the sketch. What is the y-intercept and does it have meaning in this situation?

Question

The average cost of tuition and fees at private four-year colleges was $16,200, and in 2005 it was $20,100. Sketch a line that passes through the points (2000, 16200) and (2005, 20100). 
My question is - find the slope-intercept form of the line in the sketch. What is the y-intercept and does it have meaning in this situation?

anonymous · Answer

First find the slope, which is the change in y (y2 minus u2) divided by the change in x. The slope intercept form is y = mx + b, so put the values of either coordinate into the formula with what you got for the slope for m, and solve for b.

B is the y intercept. In this instance it means the tuition at the first year.

anonymous · Answer

It is the tuition in the first year because the function is time as it relates to tuition, meaning time is x and tuition is y. Therefore when x equals zero, the y intercept is the tuition at the first year measured according to that data.

dumbcow · Answer

slope = change in tuition / change in years
dont use 2000 and 2005, use 0 and 5 for your x values

anonymous · Answer

Yeah sorry, I meant zero in the first post but I put it in the second one. You set x equal to zero.