In the xy-plane, the graph of the linear equation 3x + by = 36, where b is a constant, is … — SAT

In the $xy$ -plane, the graph of the linear equation $3x + by = 36$ , where $b$ is a constant, is a line with a slope of $-0.75$ . What is the value of $b$ ?

Answer: 4

Answer

The value of

b

4

The linear equation

3x + by = 36

can be rewritten in slope-intercept form by subtracting

3x

from both sides to get

by = -3x + 36

, and then dividing all terms by

b

to get

y = -\frac{3}{b}x + \frac{36}{b}

. The slope of this line is the coefficient of

x

, which is

-\frac{3}{b}

. Setting this equal to the given slope of

-0.75

(or

-\frac{3}{4}

) gives

-\frac{3}{b} = -\frac{3}{4}

. Solving for

b

yields

b = 4

Step-by-Step Solution

Express the given linear equation in slope-intercept form.

y = -\frac{3}{b}x + \frac{36}{b}

To identify the slope of the line in terms of the constant

b

, we rewrite the equation

3x + by = 36

in the form

y = mx + d

Equate the expression for the slope to the given slope value.

-\frac{3}{b} = -0.75

The coefficient of

x

in the slope-intercept form represents the slope of the line, which is given as

-0.75

Solve the equation for

b

b = 4

Multiply both sides of the equation by

-1

to get

\frac{3}{b} = 0.75

. Since

0.75 = \frac{3}{4}

, we have

\frac{3}{b} = \frac{3}{4}

, which gives

b = 4

Key Concept

Converting a linear equation from standard form to slope-intercept form to determine its slope.

Estimated Time:1m 30s

Question

Answer

Step-by-Step Solution

Key Concept

Common Mistakes

Topics

More questions from this topic