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Straight-line graphs
Lesson 11 of 13

Gradient and intercept

Objective. Read the gradient and y-intercept from a straight-line graph.

The key idea

Gradient is rise over run: how much y changes for each 1 that x increases. The y-intercept is the value of y where the line crosses x = 0.

Worked example

A line passes through (0, 3) and (2, 7). Find its equation.

0 … 3
Illustrated card showing 0 … 3
  1. 1Gradient: (7 − 3) ÷ (2 − 0) = 2.
  2. 2It crosses the y-axis at 3.
  3. 3So y = 2x + 3.

Answer: y = 2x + 3

Practice

Each question comes with a picture and a listen button. Try it first, then reveal the answer.

Common mistake. Calculating run over rise instead of rise over run.

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