How do you graph #y=-1/2x-5# using intercepts?

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Answer 1 · 2017-04-26T16:41:20

x-intercept: #( -10, 0 )#
y-intercept: #( 0 , -5 )#

To start off, we know that intercepts only exist when the x-coordinate or y-coordinate of a point equal 0.

So we look into the given function:

#y = -1/2x - 5#

To find the y-intercept, the x-coordinate has to equal 0, so let's plug in 0 into the function.

#y = -1/2*0 - 5#

#y = - 5#

So now we know when #x = 0#, #y = -5#. So we have a point #( 0 , -5 )# on the graph.

For the x-intercept, the y-coordinate has to equal 0. We plug it in to get:

#0 = -1/2x - 5#

#1/2x = -5#

#x = -10#

So we now have the x intercept at point #( -10, 0 )#

Here's a graph for reference:

graph{y = -1/2x-5 [-13, 7, -6.96, 3.04]}