Derivation y = mx + b

Derivation y = mx +b
Introduction

Many real-world situations involve a starting amount and a constant rate of change. For example, a taxi ride may have a starting fee plus a cost for each mile traveled. The equatio...

Imagine taking a taxi ride that charges a $4 starting fee and $2 per mile.

To represent the total cost of the ride with an equation, let x be the number of miles, and y be the total cost. Then, we can write: y = 2x + 4.

Equations like this are written in the form: y = mx + b, called the slope-intercept form. Here, m is the slope, or...