The y-intercept of a linear relation is the point where its graph crosses the y-axis, so its x-coordinate is always 0; the intercept may be positive, negative, or zero. Learners read the corresponding y-value using the graph’s scale and connect it to the constant term in , distinguishing it from the x-intercept and interpreting it as the output when the input is zero.
The -intercept is where a graph crosses the -axis. Since every point on the -axis has an -coordinate of , the -intercept always has the form
The value is also the constant term in the equation
Example: A line crosses the -axis at the horizontal grid line labeled . It crosses the -axis at .
Find the -axis. It is the vertical axis.
Find where the line crosses that axis.
Read the -value using the scale. The line crosses at .
Write the intercept as an ordered pair:
Therefore, the -intercept is . This means that when the input , the output is . In an equation such as
the is the constant term .
Do not use the point , because that is where the graph crosses the -axis, not the -axis.
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