How do you find the x and y intercept given #y=3x-6#?

1 Answer
Nov 14, 2015

Plug in #0# for #y# and #x#, respectively.

Explanation:

To find the x-intercept, that is, where the line touches the x-axis, the y-value is equal to #0#. Therefore, in order to find the x-intercept, plug #0# into #y# in the original equation.

You get: #0=3x-6#
Now, you must solve for #x#.
Add #6# to both sides: #6=3x#
Divide both sides by #3#: #2=x#
Knowing that #x=2#, we know that the x-intercept is #(2,0)#.

We use the same logic to find the y-intercept, at which we know that #x=0#. So, we will plug that into the original equation.

You get: #y=3*0-6#
Multiply: #y=0-6#
Subtract: #y=-6#
Therefore, the y-intercept is #(0,-6)#.

Another way to find the y-intercept is to recognize that #y=3x-6# is in the general form #y=mx+b#, in which #b# is equal to the y-intercept, which, in this case, is #-6#.