What is the y-intercept of a line?

What is the y-intercept of a line?

• A. The point where the line crosses the y-axis, found by setting x = 0.
• B. The point where the line crosses the x-axis, found by setting y = 0.
• C. The slope of the line.
• D. The distance from the origin to the line.

Answer: (C)

The y-intercept is the point where a line crosses the y-axis. It’s the y-value when x is zero, so in slope-intercept form y = mx + b, the constant b is the y-intercept, giving the point (0, b). For example, in y = 2x + 3, the y-intercept is (0, 3). The x-intercept is where the line crosses the x-axis (set y = 0 and solve for x). The slope describes how steep the line is, and the distance from the origin to the line isn’t the intercept.

The y-intercept is the point where a line crosses the y-axis. It’s the y-value when x is zero, so in slope-intercept form y = mx + b, the constant b is the y-intercept, giving the point (0, b). For example, in y = 2x + 3, the y-intercept is (0, 3). The x-intercept is where the line crosses the x-axis (set y = 0 and solve for x). The slope describes how steep the line is, and the distance from the origin to the line isn’t the intercept.