How do you graph # y=1/2x-5# by plotting points?

1 Answer
Shwetank Mauria
May 18, 2016

Please see below.

Explanation:

#y=1/2x-5# is the equation of a straight line.

To draw the equation of a straight line, it is always better to

  1. find out at least three points on the line, and if the are collinear, we are sure that we have the right graph
  2. Choose points so that they are far from each other, which would avoid ambiguity caused by points too narrowly placed.

As we have #1/2# as coefficient of #x# in above slope intercept form and as intercept is not a fraction, we will choose only even values of #x#

Let these be #-10#, #0# and #10#. Putting these we get #y# as

#(-10)*1/2-5=-5-5=-10#, #-5# and #(10)*1/2-5=5-5=0#.

So our points are #(-10,-10)#, #(0,-5)# and #(10,0)#. Plot them and join them. The graph should look like

graph{y=1/2x-5 [-16.92, 23.08, -13.2, 6.8]}

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