Question

Help!!:
Write the equation of a line that is parallel to the line connecting (2,5) and (-1,-4)

Answer 1

Hi there @angelmaxine and Welcome to OpenStudy! :)

Sorry for getting here a little late, I can try to help you with your problem:

Answer 2

An equation of a line that is parallel to another line
would have the Same Slopes

sooo
we should first try to find the slope between the points (2, 5) and (-1, -4)

Answer 3

@sleepyhead314 it's okay, and thank you. I'm not sure how to maneuver open study. But I need help with pre calculus!/:

Answer 4

So we would use y1-y2/x1-x2?

Answer 5

yes! :)
that's right

what do you think we would get?

Answer 6

it is ok that you might not know how to get around the site
a friend of mine created a tutorial on how to use the site that you can check out sometime ^_^
http://openstudy.com/study#/updates/543de42fe4b0b3c6e146b5e8

Answer 7

\[slope = \frac{ y_2 - y_1 }{ x_2 - x_1 } = \frac{-4 - 5}{-1 - 2}\]

Answer 8

So.. Positive 3??

Answer 9

that's perfect! :)

great job!!

then we can plug that into the equation

y = mx + b

Answer 10

That's where I keep getting stuck.

Answer 11

that's ok :)

we know that m = slope
and b = y-intercept

right?

Answer 12

in this question
"b" can be anything because it just wants the line to be parallel

Answer 13

does this make sense @angelmaxine ? :)

Answer 14

No :/

Answer 15

ok, what part do you not get?

I'll try to explain better :)

Answer 16

Do I just pick one set ? Like (2,5) or (-1,-4) to plug in?

Answer 17

we would plug in the slope = 3
that we got for "m"

so
y = 3x + b

^ right?

Answer 18

then "b" can be any number you want it to be for this question :)

Answer 19

for example

y = 3x + 1

would work

y = 3x + 7

would also work :P

Answer 20

this works because all they wanted was the equation of a line that is Parallel
and all a line needs to be Parallel is the same slope
that's why any "b" would work :)

Answer 21

so your answer can be as simple as
y = 3x + 1

Answer 22

How'd you get 7??