Linear Equations

y1 = 3

m=

General Form
And there is also the General Form of the equation of a straight line:

Ax + By + C = 0
(A and B cannot both be 0)

Example: 3x + 2y 4 = 0

A=3

B=2

C = 4

There are other, less common forms as well.

As a Function
Sometimes a linear equation is written as a function , with f(x) instead of y:

y = 2x 3 f(x) = 2x 3
These are the same!

And functions are not always written using f(x):

y = 2x 3 w(u) = 2u 3 h(z) = 2z 3
These are also the same!

https://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/linear-equations.html[2/08/2017 12:08:30 AM]

Linear Equations

The Identity Function

There is a special linear function called the "Identity Function":

f(x) = x
And here is its graph:

It makes a 45 (its slope is 1)

It is called "Identity" because what comes out is identical to what goes in:

In Out

0 0

5 5

2 2

...etc ...etc

Constant Functions
Another special type of linear function is the Constant Function ... it is a horizontal line:

https://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/linear-equations.html[2/08/2017 12:08:30 AM]