Various Forms of the Equation of a Line

In the previous sections, you learned how to describe a line using its slope and a point, or just its slope and intercept. But a line can be pinned down in many different ways — by two points, by its distance from the origin, or by the intercepts it cuts on the axes. Each of these situations gives rise to a distinct, yet equivalent, algebraic form of the line's equation. Mastering these forms lets you instantly write the equation of a line from the information given, which i …