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Graphing linear functions using a single point and gradient

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Graphing from a Point and a Slope

When you know one point on a line and its slope, you can graph the whole line: plot the given point, then use the slope as rise over run to find a second point, and draw a line through both. See a full worked example using the point (1, 2) and a slope of 3.

Graphing from a point and a slope

If you know one point on a line and its slope, you can graph the whole line without an equation in slope-intercept form. Plot the given point first, then use the slope (rise over run) to find a second point.

Worked example

Given the point (1, 2) and a slope of 3: plot (1, 2) first. A slope of 3 means rise 3, run 1, so from (1, 2) move 1 unit right and 3 units up to reach (2, 5). Draw a line through both points.

Graphing from a point and slope Starting at the given point (1, 2) with a slope of 3, moving 1 unit right and 3 units up reaches the second point (2, 5). The line is drawn through both points. x y given point (1, 2) slope 3: (2, 5)
Graphing a line from the point (1, 2) and a slope of 3.

When this method is useful

This approach is handy whenever a problem gives you a point and a slope directly, without asking you to write the equation first. It connects to graphing from slope-intercept form, since both use the same rise-over-run idea, to finding x- and y-intercepts once the line is drawn, and to the midpoint formula for finding the point exactly between two others.

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