Question

Find an equation of the line passing through the points. \((3,-2),(-8,-2)\)

Short answer

The equation of the line passing through the points \((3,-2)\) and \((-8,-2)\) is \(y = -2\)

Step-by-step solution

Identify the type of line

The two points given are \((3,-2)\) and \((-8,-2)\). Since the y-coordinate (which is -2) of both points is the same, this indicates that it is a horizontal line. Horizontal lines have a slope of 0 because they have no vertical change.

Find the slope of the line

In a line equation, the coefficient of x is the slope. But as we noticed, this is a horizontal line and the slope of a horizontal line is always 0. So, for this particular line, the slope is 0.

Write the equation of the line

For a horizontal line, the equation is always of the form \(y = c\) where c is the constant y-coordinate for all points on the line. Since the y-coordinate of the points given is -2, the equation of the line is \(y = -2\).

Key concepts

Slope of a Line

Understanding the concept of the slope of a line is paramount in coordinate geometry as it indicates the steepness and direction of the line. The slope is defined as the ratio of the vertical change to the horizontal change between any two points on a line, which is typically denoted by the letter 'm'. In mathematical terms, if you have two points on a line, \( (x_1, y_1) \) and \( (x_2, y_2) \), the slope 'm' is calculated as \[ m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1} \].

With that in mind, when we observe a horizontal line, the vertical change (rise) between points on the line is zero because all points on that line have the same y-coordinate. Hence, our slope formula results in a zero numerator, which equals to a slope of zero. It's crucial to remember that only horizontal lines have a slope of zero, making this a defining characteristic of horizontal lines in coordinate geometry.

Writing Equations of Lines

Writing equations of lines in the correct form can allow you to easily graph them or analyze their properties. The most common forms of line equations are the slope-intercept form, \( y = mx + b \), and the point-slope form, \( y - y_1 = m(x - x_1) \). In the slope-intercept form, 'm' represents the slope of the line, and 'b' is the y-intercept, where the line crosses the y-axis.

For a horizontal line, since the slope \(m = 0\) and the y-coordinate remains constant, the equation simplifies to \(y = c\), where 'c' is the constant y-coordinate value for all points on the line. It's a special case of the slope-intercept form where the 'm' term disappears due to the zero slope, leaving us with a simple equation that directly relates to the y-coordinate of the horizontal line.

Coordinate Geometry

Coordinate geometry, also known as analytic geometry, combines algebra and geometry to describe the position of points, lines, and figures within the Cartesian coordinate system. The system uses two axes: the x-axis (horizontal) and the y-axis (vertical), to determine locations on a plane, usually labeled as \( (x, y) \).

In this system, understanding the relationship between two points can give us an equation of a line that passes through these points. When dealing with horizontal and vertical lines, coordinate geometry simplifies the equations substantially. A vertical line has an undefined slope and its equation is given by \( x = a \), where 'a' is the x-coordinate at all points on the line. Conversely, as seen in our horizontal line example, the equation is given by \( y = c \), which aligns with the constant y-coordinate.