Question

Find the value of y so that the line passing through (9, 0) and (3, y) has a slope of -1/2

Answer 1

ANSWER

$y = 3$

EXPLANATION

The slope is given by the formula,

$m = \frac{y_2-y_1}{x_2-x_1}$

We now substitute the points to obtain,


$m = \frac{y - 0}{3 - 9}$
We simplify to obtain,


$m = \frac{y }{ - 6}$

This must equal
$- \frac{1}{2}$

This implies that,

$- \frac{1}{2} = - \frac{y}{6}$

We multiply both sides by -6 to obtain,

$- 6 \times - \frac{1}{2} = y$

$y = 3$


The value of is therefore 3.