In the equation y = mx + b, what does m represent?

In the equation y = mx + b, what does m represent?

• A. The slope
• B. The y-intercept
• C. The x-coordinate
• D. The constant term

Answer: (A)

In y = mx + b, m is the slope, the rate at which y changes as x changes. It tells you how steep the line is and the direction: increasing x by 1 changes y by m units, so a positive m makes the line rise, a negative m makes it fall, and m = 0 gives a horizontal line. The value b is the y-intercept, where the line crosses the y-axis. The x-coordinate is simply a value on the x-axis, not a parameter of the line, and the constant term refers to the fixed amount added by b.

In y = mx + b, m is the slope, the rate at which y changes as x changes. It tells you how steep the line is and the direction: increasing x by 1 changes y by m units, so a positive m makes the line rise, a negative m makes it fall, and m = 0 gives a horizontal line. The value b is the y-intercept, where the line crosses the y-axis. The x-coordinate is simply a value on the x-axis, not a parameter of the line, and the constant term refers to the fixed amount added by b.