Question

What type of line is the graph of 4x + y = –3 ?

vertical

horizontal

rising

falling

Answer 1

Help?

Answer 2

falling, since the slope is negative

Answer 3

Rearrange the equation into slope-intercept form: \(y = mx + b\) where \(m\) is the slope. A slope which is 0 gives a horizontal line (like the x-axis). A slope which is positive gives a rising line, with the steepness depending on the value of \(m\), larger numbers are steeper. A value of 1 is a line that goes up 1 unit as you go 1 unit to the right. A slope which is negative gives a falling line, and the same considerations about steepness apply as for positive slopes. An equation which has no y in it (\(x = 3\)) represents a vertical line.