Algebra: Cooking Up Linear Equations

Cooking Up Linear Equations

Now that you can graph lines, and have some idea of what a slope is, it's time to get down and dirty with linear equations. Last section, you were introduced to the concept, but now it's time to create your own equations from scratch. Even if you're not very good at cooking or baking, don't worry. The recipes for creating linear equations are pretty simple, require very few ingredients, and almost never result in an oven fire.

All you need to create a linear equation is its slope and one of the points on the line. Once you've got those two pieces of information, you'll be cranking out equations as fast as Sarah Lee can whip out pound cakes. Along the way, you'll even get a better understanding of linear equations and how all of their pieces fit together correctly. By the end of this section, you'll be a pro at lines; maybe even the wait at the Department of Motor Vehicles won't bother you anymore!

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Algebra © 2004 by W. Michael Kelley. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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