In the xy-plane, a line has slope 3 and x-intercept 3.

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In the xy-plane, a line has slope 3 and x-intercept 3. What is the y-intercept of the line?

A. -9
B. -3
C. 0
D. 3
E. 9

Source:GMATPrep EP2

OA:A

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by [email protected] » Wed Aug 24, 2016 9:12 am
Hi NandishSS,

You can deal with this prompt by either drawing a picture or by just creating an equation based on the facts that you know.

The slope-intercept formula for a line is Y = MX + B

From the prompt, we know that the slope is 3 and the X-INTERCEPT is 3 (meaning that X=3 when Y=0)

Y = MX + B
Y = 3X + B

0 = 3(3) + B
0 = 9 + B
-9 = B

So the Y-intercept is -9

Final Answer: E

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by Matt@VeritasPrep » Thu Sep 01, 2016 6:03 pm
This is easiest with the standard values for any line:

slope = m

y-int = b

x-int = -b/m

We know m = 3 and -b/m = 3. Plugging m = 3 into -b/m = 3, we get -b/3 = 3, or -b = 9, or b = -9.

b is what we wanted to find, so we're done! :D