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slope

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Rates & Ratios 2021-04-11
From Kenneth:
Is it correct to think that a rate can have units that are the same? Usually rates have units that are different to each other.
Answered by Penny Nom.
Slope 2020-09-04
From Mark:
I'm trying to calculate slope over 157'.I have a drop of 9 1/8 inches. What fraction of an inch of fall do I have every 10 feet
Answered by Penny Nom.
The volume under an an uneven surface 2020-05-01
From Solon:
I am trying to fill an area of floor which has an uneven surface. I need to know the volume of fill. If you imagine a rectangular room (4 corners) that measures 189 inches by 240 inches and the depth at each corner is different.
Let us say corner #1 has a depth of 1", corner #2 has a depth of 0", corner #3 has a depth of 2" and corner #4 has a depth of 4".
How would i find the volume of said floor area?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

Answered by Harley Weston.
The equation of a line 2020-01-05
From coco:
Good afternoon If relationship between total cost and the number of units made it linear ,and if costs increases by 7$ for each additional unit made ,and if the total cost of 10 units is 180$ .
Find the equation of the relationship b/n total cost (Y) & number of unit made (x).

Answered by Penny Nom.
The equation of a line 2019-12-10
From Jourdan:
Suppose a mining company will supply 96000 tons of ore per month if the price is 80 dollars per ton but will supply 70500 tons per month if the price is 20 dollars per ton. Assuming the supply function is of the form y = m x + b , find the slope, m and y-intercept, b
Answered by Penny Nom.
Slope and percentage 2019-03-19
From Tom:
I need a slope of 2 Inches every 30 feet what is the percentage to put on my pipe lazer. thank you
Answered by Penny Nom.
The point-slope equation for a line 2018-09-23
From Sally:
The equation of the line in point-slope form for the line passing through the point ( 4, -6) and parallel to the line y = -6x + 2. Describe the steps.
Answered by Penny Nom.
Dividing a region in half 2018-02-24
From mandy:
There is a line through the origin that divides the region bounded by the parabola y=4x−5x2y=4x−5x2 and the x-axis into two regions with equal area. What is the slope of that line?
Answered by Penny Nom.
The slope of a line 2018-02-22
From Steve:
my current slope is 6%. I want to know how many inches higher I will be at 18' Thanks
Answered by Penny Nom.
The equation of a line 2018-01-23
From Gloria:
Write the equation of a line in standard form through the point (1, 6) and perpendicular to the line 2x –y = 9.
Answered by Penny Nom.
What is the grade of the incline? 2017-03-12
From Jon:
If I am climbing 16 feet in elevation over 80 feet horizontal. What is the grade of the incline
Answered by Penny Nom.
The equation of a ski slope 2016-08-31
From Hannah:
The information provided is
---A ski slope has a slope of -0.2. You start at an altitude of 10,000ft. Then the question is "Write the equation giving altitude (a) as a function of horizontal distance moved (d).
I know this is probably a very simple question but I didn't take a math class my senior year and now I'm a freshman in college, so some of it is very frustrating to me.
Any help is much appreciated, thank you!

Answered by Penny Nom.
Slope 2016-06-27
From Ashiq:
What is 1% slope if length 101 feet?
Answered by Penny Nom.
Sloping my yard away from my house 2016-04-15
From Harold:
I need to slope a area of my yard away from my house and garage. The length of my house is 80 feet long and i need to slope it 22 feet away. I want to raise the dirt at the foundation by 6 inches and slope it down to nothing at the width of 22 feet. How much soil would i require?
Answered by Penny Nom.
A pipe is installed with a 2% grade 2016-01-07
From peter:
a sewer ditches to be 148 feet long. the pipe is installed with a 2% grade. what would be total amount of fall be?
Answered by Penny Nom.
A tangent to a curve passing through a point not on the graph 2014-09-15
From Aquilah:
For the curve y = x2 + 3x, find the equations of all tangent lines for this graph that also go through the point (3, 14).
Answered by Penny Nom.
A question concerning two lines 2014-05-09
From Hela:
The equation of the line L is 6x+5y=3, and the equation of line Q is 5x-6y=0, which statement below about the line is true?
A) same y intercept
B)parallel
C) Same x intercept
D)perpendicular

Answered by Penny Nom.
A tangent of the curve (x/a)^n+(y/b)^n =2 2014-04-15
From sudhir:
the equation of tangent of the curve (x/a)^n+(y/b)^n =2. at(a,b) is
Answered by Penny Nom.
Gradient 2014-02-21
From Nancy:
calculate the gradient of the line AB when the line AB is passing through the points A (2,1,) and B ( 4, -3).)
Answered by Penny Nom.
The grade of a road as a percent 2014-02-14
From Emily:
What is the grade of the road shown below expressed as a percent rounded to one decimal place?
Rise is 40feet
Run is 380 feet

Answered by Penny Nom.
The slope of the line y=-2x+5 2013-12-29
From victoria:
what is the slope of the line with the equation y=-2x+5
Answered by Penny Nom.
What is the slope of this line? 2013-12-01
From Charlene:
What is the slope of this line?
Answered by Penny Nom.
An equation in slope-intercept form 2013-08-12
From Brittney:
write an equation in slope-intercept form of the line that is parallel to the grapg of y=-3/4x+6 passes through -8,-5
Answered by Penny Nom.
Slope 2012-05-16
From Kodie:
What is the easiest way to find slope?
Answered by Penny Nom.
A sloped yard 2012-04-24
From William:
Trying to calculate fill dirt for leveling a sloped yard to place a slab. Slab is 30'x40', yard slopes from corner #1 south 40' to Corner #4 drop is 11". From corner #1 east 30' to corner #2, drop is 11 1/4". From corner #1 southeast at a 45 degrees, 50' to corner #3, drop is 19 3/4". Corners numbered in a clockwise direction.
Answered by Penny Nom.
An equation of the form y=mx 2012-04-17
From Samiya:
what would be an equation of the form y=mx with the points (-2, 6) and (1, -3) for the line?
Answered by Penny Nom.
The slope of a line 2011-11-10
From Sara:
Line k lies in the xy-plane.
The x-intercept of line k is -4.
And line k passes through the midpoint of the line segment whose endpoints are (2,9) and (2,0).
What is the slope of line k?
Give the answer as a fraction.

Answered by Penny Nom.
A column and a sloped ceiling 2011-06-10
From Tom:
Hi! I am a woodworker who needs some help finding a formula. I have to make a cylinder shape column that butts up against a sloped ceiling using bending plywood. I need to figure out how to cut the shape on this flat piece of material. The diameter of the column is 54.375". The tallest point is 9 13/16" and the shortest point is 4 7/16". Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Answered by Harley Weston.
A line tangent to f(x)=1/x 2011-06-05
From Michael:
A line tangent to f(x)=1/x in the first quadrant creates a right triangle with legs the x-axis and the y-axis. Prove that this triangle is always 2 square units regardless of where the point of tangency is.
Answered by Penny Nom.
The slope of a hole 2010-10-28
From William:
What is the slope of a hole that is 7.4 mm in dia by .5mm in depth.
Answered by Penny Nom.
The equation of a line 2010-10-19
From Sava:
I have to write an equation and sketch a graph for the line that meets the given conditions:

A line with slope -15/5 that passes through the point (-2.5,4.5)

Answered by Penny Nom.
The rate of change of y with respect to x 2010-04-29
From Tom:
I just had a quick calc question about wording that wasn't ever addressed in class. When the book says "the rate of change of y with respect to x", should it be considered how fast y is changing in comparison to x?

I ask because the textbook says that "y is changing 3 times faster than x, so the rate of change of y with respect to x is 3." I'm use to rate being like velocity, as in units of distance per units of time. All we're told in class is that it's the slope of the tangent line, I was hoping you could clarify for me what exactly is meant by the wording of a "rate of change of something with respect to something else". More specifically, what "rate" and "with respect to" mean within this context?

Thanks for your time

Answered by Harley Weston.
One in twenty as a percentage 2010-04-27
From jim:
Please advise how I work out a gradient of say 1-20 one in twenty as a percentage %
Answered by Penny Nom.
Modelling the roof of a house 2010-03-23
From Sandi:
This question has been haunting my dreams at night. It states the cross section of the roof of a house is modelled by the function y= -5\12|x-12|+5, where y>0 or y. Now I'm suppose to graph the function. b) Find the slope, height, length of sides, and base of the isosceles triangle. c)Explain what transformation must be applied to the graph of y=|x| to obtain the graph of y= -5\12|x-12|+5, where y>0 or y=0. 1st I put the equation into my calculator and graphed it. I got 10 for the height. We have had 2 sub teachers this past week. The first one told me the height should be 12 the other one told me 5. So I'm really confused. If I use my 10 units as height and the Pythagorean Theorem I get my sides to be 26 units the base 48 and my slope I calc to be 5/12. Both teachers are pretty sure I'm wrong and they are right but we all have different answers. Please help put this problem to rest so I can rest soundly at night. Thank you for your time.
Answered by Penny Nom.
The line joining (3,4) and (-5,-6) 2010-03-06
From Patric:
Find the condition that the point (x,y) may lie on the line joining the points (3,4) and (-5,-6)
Answered by Penny Nom.
Is it a rectangle? 2009-10-29
From sefora:
The coordinates of the vertices of quadrilaterals are given. Draw each quadrilateral on a grid. Determine whether it is a rectangle (show your work)

P(5,1), Q(-4,4), R(-6,-2), S(3,-5)

Answered by Penny Nom.
A linear equation 2009-10-22
From Ryan:
How do you convert the equation 2x-6y=7? This is on my homework and I am really stuck!!!
Answered by Penny Nom.
The slope-intercept form 2009-09-11
From Shelby:
Write an equation in slope-intercept form of the line that is parallel to the graph of 3y-4x=1 and passes through (0,6)
Answered by Penny Nom.
Parallel lines 2009-07-01
From chris:
Write the slope of a line that is parallel to each line.
1.y=2x-5
2.y=-x+2
3.3x+y=10
4.5x-y=11
5.x+2y=6
6.2x-3y=9
7.4x+y=3
8.x+2y=14

Answered by Brennan Yaremko.
The product of gradients between 2 perpendiculars lines 2009-06-11
From Alister:
how do i prove that the product of gradients between 2 perpendiculars lines equal to -1....
Answered by Penny Nom.
An equation for a line with a changing slope 2009-03-21
From Ben:
Is there anyway to write an equation for a line with a changing slope. e.g. A cell [hone company has a initial fee of 50$ paying for the first 100 minutes, the rate then increases to 10 cents per minute, then at 500 minutes the rate is 5 cents per minute.

If so please tell how.
Thanks

Answered by Penny Nom.
A slopped table top 2009-03-16
From anthony:
A perfect circle with radius 100m is supported by four legs, 50m long. The circle is flat when all four legs are 50m long, and tilted when the legs are different in length. The four legs are spread evenly 90 degrees apart at 0, 90, 180, and 270. Find the high and low points in degree and height when the legs are 55m at 0 degree, 70m at 90 degree, 45m at 180 degree, and 30m at 270 degree.

Not sure if they can be calculated using only 2 or 3 legs.

I have tried by picking the two adjacent highest legs (55m and 70m) so I know the high point falls into the first quadrant. Then I tried using ratio to determine where the high point is, which I think high point should be closer to the 70m leg, I am not sure. If I can find the high point, the low point should be opposite to it.

Answered by Chris Fisher and Harley Weston.
The slope of a line 2009-03-09
From Shannon:
Find x such that a straight line passing through (2,x) and (x+1, 3) has slope 2x+1/x-1 Please help! Missed this class, so I have no notes and the book doesn't have an example like this. Thank you!
Answered by Penny Nom.
A line parallel to a given line 2009-02-18
From Lisa:
I'm having a hard time understanding the concept of how to write an equation of the line containing the given points and parallel to the given line.
Express the answer in the form of y=mx+b. (7,9); 2x+5y=4. i would appreciate it alot if someone can show ne how to do this. Thank you, Lisa

Answered by Penny Nom.
Grade of a hill 2009-01-26
From rachel:
if the grade is 18%, how many feet would it fall vertically over a horizontal distance of 250 yards.
Answered by Robert Dawson.
A line is perpendicular to another line 2009-01-16
From Greg:
A line is perpendicular to the line y=2x+3 and has the same x-intercept as x+3y+10. Find the equation of this line. Express your answer in the form of y=mx+b. Justify your answer.
Answered by Robert Dawson.
The slope intercept form 2009-01-11
From Norma:
write equation in slope intercept form and then find the slope and y-intercpet of the corresponding line.

please show step by step

1). 2x-3y-9=0 and 2). 3x-4y+8=0

Answered by Penny Nom.
A line in slope intercept form 2008-12-08
From laurie:
the question: Write and equation of the line that passes through the point and has the give slope. Then rewrite the equation in slope intercept form. (2, 5 ) m= 3
Answered by Penny Nom.
The sides of a rectangle 2008-12-08
From Mitchell:
The perimeter of rectangle ABCD (represented on a Cartesian plane) is 52cm. The equation associated with segment AD is 3x+4y-60=0 Point C is at (18, 14). What is the length of segment AD?
Answered by Penny Nom.
The slope of a tangent line 2008-10-18
From Amanda:
If f(x)=square root of (x+4), and the slope of the tangent line at x=21 was 1/n for some integer n, then what would you expect n to be?
Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
A tangent line to f(x) = 1/(x - 1) 2008-10-16
From Amanda:
If f(x)=1/(x-1) then what is the slope of the tangent line at x=-2?
Answered by Harley Weston.
Perpendicular lines 2008-10-16
From Hailey:
In the xy-plane, the line with equation 2x + y = 3 is perpendicular to the line with equation y = mx + b, where m and b are constants. What is the value of m?
Answered by Penny Nom.
The rise over the run 2008-10-07
From Mak:
what is the ratio of the rise to run?
Answered by Penny Nom.
The standard form Ax+By=C 2008-09-26
From Susan:
I am having difficulty changing the point-slope form of the equation of the line y-y1=m(x-x1) to the standard form Ax+By=C. You must express A,B,C in terms of the constants m,x1,y1. I have been able to insert numbers and switch easily from the general to the point slope equation, but I am stumped on how to convert it this way.
Answered by Penny Nom.
A line through two points 2008-09-10
From Conor:
Find the equation of the straight line which passes through the points (-2,14) and (8,-1)
Answered by Penny Nom.
Parallel and perpendicular lines 2008-09-06
From C:
Can you help me determine whether these lines are parallel, perpendicular or neither and why?

Problem 1: y=3x+2
y=1/3x - 4

Problem 2: y=1/3x + 1/2
y=1/3 x -2

Answered by Penny Nom.
Slope and rate of change 2008-06-23
From Lee:
What is the difference between a slope and a rate of change?
Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
A jar of pennies 2008-06-18
From Ryan:
if you are given a jar of pennies and you had to find the weight of one penny without opening the jar.when you graph it, You have to y= the mass of the container and x= number of coins you use the slope to find the weight of the penny how would u go about doing that?
Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
What is a 1% slope? 2008-06-17
From randy:
trying to figure out percentage of slope lets say i have to run a pipe 80' at a 1%slope how much pitch is that?
Answered by Harley Weston.
Elevation gain 2008-05-18
From Mark:
How do you calculate elevation gain on a treadmill? e.g. 5.0 miles (26,400ft) @ 15% incline. I have been estimating it as 26,400 x .15 = 3,960 ft of elevation gain. Hopeful Mount Rainier Climber
Answered by Victoria West.
The slope intercept form 2008-04-11
From Dave:
Hi, why is there a y-intercept in the slope intercept form?What does the y-intecept have to do with the equation?
Answered by Penny Nom.
The equation of a line 2008-02-17
From Jennifer:
Given the point A(3,2)B(5,8) find the equation of the line AB ( in standard form )
Answered by Penny Nom.
The slope intercept form of a line 2008-02-17
From chris:
find the slope and y intercept of the line (2x+4)-3y=11(x-1) is this equation in slope point form.
Answered by Penny Nom.
Find the slope of the line with equation 7-3y=2x 2008-01-23
From nell:
Find the slope of the line with equation 7-3y=2x
Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
The equation of a line 2008-01-20
From Sara:
The question is:

Write the equation of a line that is parallel to y=3x-2 through the point (-5,9). I think the correct equation for this is y=3x+24. But I have to write it in standard form, and I can't seem to figure out how to do that. Please answer soon! Thanks!

Answered by Stephen La Rocque and Penny Nom.
The line through (-22 ;-1) and (-23, -2) 2008-01-20
From Zachery:
i have a slope that equals 1/1 and my coordinates are (-22;-1) and (-23;-2) and i am trying to change it into the equation y=mx+b and the farthest that i've gotten is y=1x_ (i can not find out how to find b.) So i was wondering if you could help me find out what b is because i have got no clue!!!!!
Answered by Penny Nom.
Why do they use the letter b in y=mx+b? 2007-11-15
From virginia:
why do they use the letter b in y=mx+b? im asking this because my math teacher said he will give extra points to anyone who finds this out first and i was hoping you guys would be the ones who could help.
Answered by Penny Nom.
Roof trusses 2007-10-05
From Mary:
I need to know how algebra is used in making or designing of roof trusses for a house. I have to present a poster in class showing how algebra is used in daily jobs. My dad works at a truss company.
Answered by Chris Langdon.
Find the equation of a line given two points 2007-10-05
From Tiffany:
The equation for the line through the points (11,2) and (18,12) can be written in the form Ax+By=C. Find A and B.
Answered by Victoria West.
Equation of a tangent line to a function 2007-10-04
From Princess:
If f ' (x) = 3x^2 +1, find the equation of the tangent line to f(x) = x^3 + x at x= -1.
Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
Finding equations, intersection point of two lines at right angles 2007-09-22
From Yaz:
Find the equation of the line joining A(-1,-9) to B(6,120). Another line passes through C(7,-5) and meets AB at rigth angle of D. Find the euation of CD and calculate the co-ordinates of D.
Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
The incline of my yard as it slopes away from my house 2007-09-22
From Janet:
I need to calculate the degree (or is it percent?) of incline of my yard as it slopes away from my house. Do I visualize a right angle formed by a level line from the bottom of the slope to the side of the house, and then compare the line of the slope against the right angle to get the degree? Or is an incline calculated by the measurement of the rise in 100 feet? For instance, if the ground rises 3 feel in a distance of 100 feet, is that a 3% incline? And if it rises 4 feet in a distance of 25 feet, is that a 16% incline? Thanks so much.
Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
The slope of a line 2007-09-06
From Danielle:
Hello. I need some help with this: i am supposed to find the equation of a line with a point (2/3,5) and (-5/6,-4) the answer in the book says y=6x+1. My question is how did they get for the slope?
Answered by Penny Nom.
Perpendicular lines 2007-09-06
From dinesh:
we know that for two perpendicular lines m1*m2=-1perpendicular but this is not true for x-axis and y-axis?
Answered by Harley Weston.
Point-slope form 2007-08-16
From jenny:
write an equation in the point-slope form and the intercept form slope=4,passing through (1,3) slope=8,passing through (4,-1) slope= -5,passing through (-4,-2) slope= -2,passing through(0,-3)
Answered by Leeanne Boehm.
Slopes of a triangle's medians 2007-08-11
From Gina:
I am trying to help my daughter with this, but I am very weak in Math.Please help! Find slopes of the medians of a triangle whose vertices are P(1,3), Q(3,5), and R(6,2)
Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
Dirt in a sloped round hole 2007-08-03
From Ken:
How much dirt do I need to fill a ground hole 20 ft in dia. with a sloping floor that has a ht. of 5" on one side and 12" on the other side?
Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
Proving a quadrilateral is a rectangle 2007-07-14
From Sonja:
I was having this discussion with another teacher and we need a third opinion. When you are trying to prove a quadrilateral is a rectangle which method should you use:
  1. Prove the shape is a parallelogram by doing slope 4 times by stating that parallel lines have equal slopes. Then proving a right angle by stating that perpendicular lines have negative reciprocal slopes.
  2. Doing the slope 4 times and stating that the shape is a rectangle because opposite sides are parallel because of equal slopes and it contains a right angle because of negative reciprocal slopes.
I guess the real question is do you have to first state that the shape is a parallelogram?

Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
Road incline grades 2007-05-07
From cecil:
convert grade percent to degrees
Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
Finding out if two line equations are parallel or perpendicular 2007-04-28
From Vincent:
Can you determine if the two lines are parallel, perpendicular, or neither 1/2x+4y=3/5 y/1 + 10/5= 8x I think there perpendicular but how would you solve the equations
Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
The grade of a shoulder 2007-04-28
From Robert:
I am building a road with a 1.2 meter shoulder. The plan calls fo a 6% shoulder grade. When I use my metric calculator I come up with a different answer when I multiply 3/4 of an inch by 1.2 meters and when I multiply 1.2 meters by .06%?
Answered by Penny Nom.
The angles in a right triangle 2007-03-28
From Golaan:
I need the to understand the formula for finding either of the acute angles of a right triangle given it's hieght length and base length. I want to find the degrees of either accute angle. So for this example I have a right triangle with a height of 410 meters and a base length of 1,700 meters. I don't understand cosine, sine, and tangent or the other ones at all. So if the solution includes those (which I believe it does) could b very verbose yet in a very elementary way?

The purpose of ths is that I have to define the general incline angles (or grade) of various areas of terrain. I know the distance by map and also the the altitude at either endpoint.

Answered by Penny Nom.
Slopes of perpendicular lines 2007-03-27
From Mykolyn:
How do you find the slope of a line that is perpendicular to the graph of: y= -1/2x+4?
Answered by Leeanne Boehm and Sara Ulmer.
y-intercept form 2007-03-16
From Ken:
Simple way on how to convert to & from y-intercept form & Std. form. Eg: Convert into y-intercept form: 3x+4y+7=0, Eg.: Convert into Std. Form: y=-1/2x +3, y=50x +300. I would appreciate your help in this matter, as I find it hard to understand. Kind Regards: Ken
Answered by Penny Nom.
Slope 2007-03-02
From Lacey:
My algebra 2 class is researching graphing and slope and we would like to know how we use graphing and slope in everyday life. So if you could get back to me with some real world examples i would really appreciate it. Thanks for your help!
Answered by Steve La Rocque, Penny Nom and Sara Ulmer.
Percent elevation gain 2007-01-24
From Susan:
okay... so if I hike Gregory Canyon and it's a 1.1 mile hike with a 900 foot elevation gain, what's the percent elevation gain?
Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
A line perpendicular to another line 2007-01-13
From Dusty:
Find an equation for the line perpendicular to: 3x - 4y + 1 = 0 passing through (4,7)
Answered by Leeanne Boehm and Penny Nom.
The slope-intercept form 2007-01-04
From Earnestine:
Given a line containing the points (1,4), (2,7), and (3,10) determine the slope-intercept form of the equation, provide one additional point on this line, and graph the function.
Answered by Penny Nom.
The slope-intercept form 2006-12-17
From Anthony:
I'm really confused with this, tried to figure it out on my own but i can't seem to grasp it here's the problem:
Two points are given
a. Write an equation in slope-intercept form for the line containing the two points.
b. Graph the line from Part a and check that both points are on the line.

Answered by Penny Nom.
Th pitch of a roof 2006-12-15
From Rob:
I am trying to determine how much to add for roof pitch. I guess the best way would be to use a right triangle as an example.

The base of the triangle is always 12 inches. The leg pointing straight up is a variable. I will say 6" in this example. By changing the variable how can i determine how much longer the hypotenuse than the base expressed in percent or decimal.

Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
The grade of a highway 2006-11-14
From Nancy:
If a portion of highway has a grade or slope of 12%, and the length of this portion is approximately 1.1 miles, what is the change in elevation from the top of the grade to the bottom of the grade in feet?
Answered by Stephen La Rocque and Penny Nom.
The slope-intercept form 2006-11-08
From Kilihea:
I need to graph this equation but first need to turn it into a slope-intercept form. 6x - 3y = -3 I would really appreciate it if you could help me turn it into a slope-intercept form.
Answered by Penny Nom.
Convert a standard form to a slope intercept form 2006-09-14
From Maiko:
I need to know step by step procedures to convert a standard form to a slope intercept form?
Answered by Penny Nom.
How old is y = mx + b? 2006-07-05
From Beckie:
I am taking intermediate algebra this summer (Math 95), and have a question for you. My instructor will award extra credit points to any of us who find out how old the formula y = mx+b is. Would you happen to know the answer?
Answered by Penny Nom.
Equation of a line in Ax + By = C form 2006-04-19
From Christopher:
How do you write the equation of a line with a slope of 3/8 and passing through (-4,6) in Ax+By=C form?
Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
Intercepts and slope 2006-01-15
From Anthony:
Given -1.7x + 0.8y=7.1:

(a) state the intercepts and slope for the graph

(b) Draw the graph

Answered by Penny Nom.
y - y1 = m(x - x1) 2006-01-08
From Greg:
How do you change 2x + 3y = 7 into y - y1 = m(x-x1)?
Answered by Penny Nom.
A tangent to a parabola 2005-11-02
From A student:
Find the point on the curve y=x2 where the tangent to the curve is parallel to the secant line connecting (-1,1) and (2,4)
Answered by Penny Nom.
The gradiant of a hill is 9% 2004-12-18
From Jim:
The gradiant of a hill is 9%. What angle is created by the run/rise of the hill and 0 degrees?
Answered by Penny Nom.
Two intersecting lines 2004-12-18
From James:
Imagine a vertical line 1.107' tall. Leaving the top of this line, sloping down to the right at a 4:1, at what horizontal distance will the line strike a second line, which leaves the the bottom of the vertical line sloping down to the right at a rate of .02 ft/ft (or 2%)? There is a fairly easy solution to this, but I have lost my notes!
Answered by Harley Weston.
The point slope form of a line 2004-10-26
From Jack:
Given a set of ordered pairs, ie (1,1) (2,4) (3,7), how does one determine the rule f(n) other than by trial and error
Answered by Penny Nom.
The equation of a line 2004-04-30
From Amy:
Write the equation of the line that contains the point (-4,6) and is perpendicular to the line y=5x+100.
Answered by Penny Nom.
The line through (4,2) and (4,-8) 2004-04-17
From Kim:
Write an equation for the line.
Given points (4, -8) and (4,2) are on the line.
I believe m=undefined.

How do I solve for b when m is undefined, and then plug in the values for m, b, and y?

Answered by Penny Nom.
The incline of an exercise machine 2004-02-02
From An exerciser:
This is a question about incline percentage. On an exercise machine if the elevation is raised 3 and one half inches from a level position then what would be the incline percentage?
Answered by Penny Nom.
The slope of a tangent 2003-10-01
From A student:

find the slope of the tangent to each curve at the given point

f(x)=square root 16-x, where y=5


Answered by Penny Nom.
The incline of a road 2003-08-03
From A driver:
incline- % grade as to degree. ie 6% hwy grade= what degree of incline?
Answered by Penny Nom.
Slope 2003-07-20
From Brian:

You are placing a pipe 60 feet long at a slope of 1.5%. How would you figure the amount of drop from the inlet of the pipe tot he outlet of the pipe? and what is the answer .

If you are trying to keep a shoulder slope of a road between 3/4'' per foot and 11/2'' per foot . If the shoulder is 10 feet wide, how would you figure how much lower should the outside of the shoulder be than the edge of pavement and what is the answer ?


Answered by Penny Nom.
A tangent to a circle 2003-04-18
From Lech:
The line with equation y=mx is a tangent to the circle with equation x2+y2-6x-6y+17=0. Find the possible values of m.
Answered by Harley Weston.
The percentage grade of that hill 2002-11-05
From Cathy:
If there is an 80ft climb over a kilometer(about 3280ft) what is the percentage grade of that hill?
Answered by Penny Nom.
6% grade 2002-10-15
From Micheal:
When I am driving down the road and see a sign that says for example steep grade ahead 6% grade etc etc what does this mean?
Answered by Penny Nom.
A linear function 2002-09-09
From Chad:
If y = 9x - 13 does it represent a linear function? And if it does what is its slope and is it a direct variation?
Answered by Peny Nom.
The slope of a tangent line 2002-03-04
From Ridley:
Suppose a function f(x) has the line 3x+4y=2 as its tangent line at x=5. Find f'(5).
Answered by Harley Weston.
The slopes of the sides of the Great Pyramid 2002-02-09
From Christina:
The Great Pyramid is the largest of the Egyptian pryamids. When it was built, it was 481 feet tall and had a square base with 755-foot sides. The pyramid has two different slopes-one along its sides and the other along its edges. Which slope is steeper?
Answered by Penny Nom.
Slope intercept form 2001-11-27
From A student:
what is slope intercept form?
Answered by Penny Nom.
Lines in the plane 2001-10-21
From Greg:

*If the line with equation 3x-4ky= -16 has y-intercept -2, find k.

*Write the equation of the line passing through (2,5) and perpendicular to the line passing through (2,-4) and (6,1)


Answered by Penny Nom.
The shortest distance from a point to a line 2001-06-05
From Kat:
Find the shortest distance from the given line. Round to the nearest tenth. (-2,-1) and x+5y+20=0
Answered by Penny Nom.
Pyramids 2001-04-18
From Kelly:
I'm in tenth grade and I know that there's some formula for finding out the slope of the side of a pyramid. I thought it could be the pythagorean therom, but I'm not sure if this works. Please send me the formula as soon as possible, I need it for a project.
Answered by Penny Nom.
Blood flow and age 2001-01-11
From Gayle:
I don't understand the second part of this problem Here is the first part that was correct. A 35yr old has 100% blood flow. A 65yr old has 64% blood flow. Find the rate of change per yr in the percent of blood flow. (This part is correct) m=(64-100)/(35-65)= -36/30= -1.2 per year of blood flow.

Now, here is the second part I DON'T UNDERSTAND! .Let b represent the percent of blood flow and a represent a person's age. Write an equation that you could use to predict the percent of blood flow for a person of any age over 35.


Answered by Penny Nom.
A lampost and its shadow 2000-12-24
From Laura:
A lamppost line EC casts a shadow line AC. A 30 cm ruler line DB has been moved from A so that it's shadow falls just within the shadow of the lamppost.
  1. Suppose the length of the ruler's shadow is 42 cm. What is the slope of the imaginary line AE?

  2. Suppose the lamppost's shadow is 15 m. long. How tall is the lamppost?

Answered by Penny Nom.
Connecting to a water line 2000-10-20
From Vanja:
My question is...A house is to be connected to a new water main that runs along the line y=2/3x-1. The connection point at the house has coordinates (2,9), where the units represent metres. What lenght of plastic pipe is needed to connect to the water main at the closest point?
Answered by Penny Nom.
Three points on a line 2000-08-25
From Casey:
I am trying to find the slope and y-intercept of an equation. I have THREE x values and THREE y values. How do you do it? Help!
Answered by Penny Nom.
Slope 2000-08-19
From John K. DePonte:
My question is to why the variable "m" was chosen to represent the slope of a linear equation. I always told my class to think of "m" for "m"ountain slope. But what is the real reason for this?
Answered by Penny Nom.
Angle of Intersection of Two Lines 2000-03-02
From Veronica Patterson:
I am having a real hard time trying to figure out this problem. Could you please help me! The homework question says to find the acute angle of intersection between the two lines y=3x+1 and y=(1/2)x-1. (It also says to use the results of a problem I had already figured out.) That problem was to use information from a picture shown that tan(theta sub1-theta sub2)= ((m sub2- m sub1)/(1+(m sub1 * m sub2))). I used the difference identity of tangent to figure out the answer. Any help on this problem would be greatly appreciated.
Answered by Harley Weston.
Two calculus problems 1999-12-01
From O'Sullivan:
Question #1 Assume that a snowball melts so that its volume decreases at a rate proportional to its surface area. If it takes three hours for the snowball to decrease to half its original volume, how much longer will it take for the snowball to melt completely? It's under the chain rule section of differentiation if that any help.

I've set up a ratio and tried to find the constant but am stuck.

Question #2 The figure shows a lamp located three units to the right of the y-axis and a shadow created by the elliptical region x^2 + 4y^2 < or= 5. If the point (-5,0) is on the edge of the shadow, how far above the x axis is the lamp located?

The picture shows an x and y axis with only the points -5 and 3 written on the x axis. the lamp is on the upper right quadrant shining down diagonally to the left. There's an ellipse around the origin creating the shadow. It's formula is given as x^2 + 4y^2=5.


Answered by Harley Weston.
Why is slope designated m? 1999-08-18
From Peter Komlos:
Why is the slope of a line is designated by the letter "m"?
Answered by Penny Nom.
A calculus problem 1999-07-22
From Nicholas Lawton:
The curve y= e^x(px^2+qx+r) is such that the tangents at x=1 and x=3 are parallel to the x-axis. the point (0,9) is on the curve. Find the values of p,q and r.
Answered by Harley Weston.
Slopes of curved lines 1999-06-09
From Stephen Ehrler:
When one plots the graphs of y=2x, y=3x, y=xx When each of these graphs pass through point (0,1) do they have the same slope? I know they are different lines but is it possable that they have the same slope at point (0,1).
Answered by Harley Weston.
Parallel and perpendicular lines 1999-04-23
From Crystal Pilling:
My name is Crystal Pilling and I am in 9th grade algebra. We are currently studying parallel and perpendicular lines. I am having trouble with this problem: 3/4x - 5y= 16, (5,-6) I have to find a line that is perpindicular to this line on a graph.
HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!

Answered by Penny Nom.
y=mx+b 1999-04-15
From Selena Royle:
When solving a problem on slopes,and in the formula y=mx+b what do the M and B stand for? Why M and B?
Answered by Penny Nom.
0/11 1999-03-09
From Jacob:
What is the term applied to 0 divided by a number.

In calculating slope problem my answer was 0 divided by 11. I don't know what to do with this answer or how to interpret it.
Answered by Jack LeSage and Penny Nom.

Equation of a line 1997-04-08
From Susan Gregson:
I am a secondary school teacher. My students and I would like to know why the letters m and b are traditionally used to stand for slope and Y-intercept in the standard form of an equation. Was this an arbitrary choice? Who made it? Are the letters from Greek ot Latin words?
Answered by Harley Weston.
 
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