hat does it stand for?
Slope or
Gradienty when x=0
(see Y Intercept)
y = how far up
x = how far along
m = Slope or Gradient (how steep the line is)
b = value of y when x=0
How do you find "m" and "b"?
b is easy: just see where the line crosses the Y axis.
m (the Slope) needs some calculation:
m = Change in YChange in X
Knowing this we can work out the equation of a straight line:
Example 1
m = 21 = 2
b = 1 (value of y when x=0)
So: y = 2x + 1
With that equation you can now ...
... choose any value for x and find the matching value for y
For example, when x is 1:
y = 2×1 + 1 = 3
Check for yourself that x=1 and y=3 is actually on the line.
Or we could choose another value for x, such as 7:
y = 2×7 + 1 = 15
And so when x=7 you will have y=15