Name Class Date

6.3 Standard Form

Essential Question: H
 ow can you write a linear equation in standard form given properties of
the line including its slope and points on the line?

Resource
Locker

Comparing Forms of Linear Equations

Explore  
You have seen that the standard form of a linear equation is Ax + By = C where A and B are not both zero. For
instance, the equation 2x + 3y = -12 is in standard form. You can write equivalent equations in slope-intercept form
and point-slope form. For instance, the equation in slope-intercept form and an equation in point-slope are shown.

Standard form: 2x + 3y = -12

 Slope-intercept form: y = -​ _23 ​x - 4

Point-slope from: y + 8 = -​ _23 (​​ x - 6)​

Use the three forms of the equation shown to complete each step.

A Circle true or false. B The slope is       .

You can read the slope from the equation.

Standard form True False

Slope-intercept form True False

Point-slope form True False

C Circle true or false. D Identify the y-intercept       

You can read the y-intercept from the equation.

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Standard form True False

Slope-intercept form True False

Point-slope form True False

Reflect

1. Explain how you can find both intercepts using the standard form.

2. How can you find a point on the line using the slope-intercept form?

Module 6 261 Lesson 3

 Explain 1 Creating Linear Equations in Standard Form Given
Slope and a Point
Given the slope of a line and a point on the line, you can write an equation of the line in standard form.

Example 1 Write an equation in standard form for each line.

A Slope is 2 and (-2, 2) is on the line.

Method 1: Use the point-slope form. Substitute the given slope and the coordinates of the
given point.
y − 2 = 2 (x − (−2)) Point-slope form Rewrite in standard form.

y − 2 = 2x + 4 Simplify. y - 2 = 2x + 4

-2x + y = 6

Method 2: Use the slope-intercept form. Substitute the given slope and the coordinates of
the given point. Solve for b.
y = mx + b Slope-intercept form The slope-intercept form is y = 2x + 6.

2 = 2 (-2) + b Substitute for x. Rewrite in standard form as in Method 1: -2x + y = 6

6=b Simplify.

B Slope is 5, and (-2, 4) is on the line.

Method 1: Use the point-slope form. Substitute the given slope and the coordinates of the
given point.

y- = ( ( ))
x- Point-slope form

y- = x+ Simplify.

Rewrite in standard form.

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y- = x+

x+y=

Method 2: Use the slope-intercept form and substitute the slope and point into the
equation to solve for b.

= ⋅ +b This gives the equation y = x+ .

= +b Rewrite in standard form as in Method 1:

=b x+y=

Module 6 262 Lesson 3

 Reflect

3. Discussion Which method do you prefer? Why?

Your Turn

Write an equation in standard form for each line.

4. Slope is -2, and (-7, -10) is on the line. 5. Slope is 4, and (-3, 0) is on the line.

Explain 2 Creating Linear Equations in Standard

Form Given Two Points
You can use two points on a line to create an equation of the line in standard form.

Example 2 Write an equation in standard form for each line.

A (-2, -1) and (0, 4) are on the line. (5, 2) and (3, -6) are on the line.
B
Find the slope using the given points. Find the slope.
y2 - y1 4 - (-1) _ 5
m=_ _
x 2 - x 1 = 0 - (-2) = 2 -
y2 - y1
m=_
x2 - x1 = __ = _ =
Substitute the slope and the coordinates of
-
either of the given points in the point-slope
form. Substitute the slope and the coordinates of either
of the given points in the point-slope form.
y - y 1 = m(x - x 1)
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y - y 1 = m(x - x 1)

(x - )
y-4=_ 5 (x - 0)
2 y- =
y-4=_ 5x
2
y- = x-
Rewrite in standard form.
Or:

(x - )
2y - 8 = 5x
y- =
5x - 2y = -8
y+ = x-

Rewrite in standard form.

Reflect

6. Why does it not matter which of the two given points you use in the point-slope form?

Module 6 263 Lesson 3

 Your Turn

Write an equation in standard form for each line.

7. (4, -7) and (2, -3) are on the line. 8. (1, 5) and (-10, -6) are on the line.

Explain 3 Creating Linear Models in Standard Form

Equations in standard form can be used to model real-world linear situations.

Example 3 Write an equation in standard form to model the linear situation.

A A tank is filling up with water at a rate of 3 gallons per minute. The tank already had 3 gallons in it before
it started being filled.

Let x represent the time in minutes since the filling began and y represent the amount of water in gallons.
Since 3 gallons were in the tank before filling started, the point (0, 3) is on the line.

The rate is 3 gallons per minute, so m = 3.

Substitute the slope and the coordinates of the point in the point-slope form and rewrite in standard form.

y - 3 = 3(x - 0)

y - 3 = 3x

3x - y = -3

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B A hot tub filled with 440 gallons of water is being
drained. After 1.5 hours, the amount of water had
decreased to 320 gallons.

The initial amount of water in the hot tub was

440 gallons, so (0, 440) is on the line.

After 1.5 hours, the amount of water had decreased

to 320 gallons, so (1.5, 320) is on the line.

Use the given information to find the slope.

Wollwerth/Shutterstock

-
m = _____________ = _ =
-

Substitute the slope and the coordinates of one of the points in the point-slope form, and rewrite in
standard form.
y- = (x - )
y- = x

Module 6 264 Lesson 3

 Reflect

9. Your school sells adult and student tickets to a school play. Adult tickets cost $15 and student tickets cost
$4. The total value of all the tickets sold is $7000. How could you write an equation in standard form to
describe the linear situation?

Your Turn

Write an equation in standard form to model the linear situation.

10. A tank is being filled with gasoline at a rate of 11. A pool that is being drained contained 18,000
4.5 gallons per minute. The gas tank contained gallons of water. After 2 hours, 12,500 gallons of
1.5 gallons of gasoline before filling started. water remain.

Elaborate
12. Describe a method other than the one given in the example for writing an equation in standard form given
two points on a line.

13. Why might you choose the standard form of an equation over another form?

14. Essential Question Check-In When writing a linear equation in standard form, what other forms might
you need to use?
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Evaluate: Homework and Practice

• Online Homework
Identify the form of each equation. • Hints and Help
• Extra Practice
1. a. 5x + 4y = 8 b. y - 3 = 8(x - 2)

c. y = 3x + 6 d. 2x - 3y = -7
Rewrite each equation in standard form.

2. y = 6x − 4 3. y − 2 = − (x + 7)

Module 6 265 Lesson 3

4. ​  4 ​  x - _
y=_ ​  2 ​ 5.
7 ​(​ x - 3)​
y - 4 = ​ _
3 3 3

Use the information given to write an equation in standard form.

6. Slope is 3, and (1, 4) is on the line. 7. Slope is -2, and (4, 3) is on the line.

8. Slope is -3, and (0, -4) is on the line. 9. Slope is 0, and (0, 5) is on the line.

10. Slope is _​ 47​, and (1, 3) is on the line. 11. Slope = - ​ __32 ​, and (2, 3) is on the line.

12. (-1, 1) and (0, 4) are on the line. 13. (6, 11) and (5, 9) are on the line.

14. (2, -5) and (-1, 1) are on the line. 15. (25, 34) and (35, 50) are on the line.

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16. Use the information on the graph to write an equation in standard form. y
8

4
x
-8 -4 0 4 8
-4

Module 6 266 Lesson 3

 Write an equation in standard form to model the linear situation.

17. A bathtub that holds 32 gallons of water contains 12 gallons of water. You begin filling it, and after 5
minutes, the tub is full.

18. A barrel of oil was filled at a constant rate of 7.5 gal/min. The barrel had 10 gallons before filling began.

19. Represent Real-World Situations

A restaurant needs to plan seating for a party
of 150 people. Large tables seat 10 people
and small tables seat 6. Let x represent the
number of large tables and y represent the
number of small tables. An expression like
the total number of people you can seat using
A large tables and B small tables is called a
linear combination. For instance, 150 people
could be seated using 12 large tables and
5 small tables. Use that expression to write an
equation in standard form that models all the
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different combinations of tables the restaurant could use. Then identify at least one possible combination of
tables other than (​ 12, 5)​.

20. Match each equation with an equivalent equation in standard form.

​  23 ​x + 3     7x + 6y = 6
a. y = __
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b. 6 - y = -5x + 8     5x - y = 2

c. y - 3 = 4​(x - 3)​     2x - 3y = -9

d. -​ __76 ​  x + 1 = y     4x - y = 9

Module 6 267 Lesson 3

 H.O.T. Focus on Higher Order Thinking

( )
​  12 ​, 4 ​and ​ __
21. Explain the Error Cody was given two points ​ __ ( )
​  23 ​, 1 ​, on a line and asked
to create a linear equation in standard form. Cody’s work is shown. Identify any errors
and correct them.
1-4
m = ​  _____
2
__ 1
__
​  __31 ​ = - __
​ = - __ ​  12 ​
​  3 ​ - ​  2 ​ ​  6 ​

(
​  12 ​​ x - __
y - 1 = - __ ​  23 ​ ​)
​  12 ​x + __
y - 1 = - __ ​  13 ​

​  23 ​
2y - 2 = - x + __

​  83 ​
x + 2y = __

22. Communicate Mathematical Ideas In the equation Ax + By = C, A and B

cannot both be zero. What if only A is zero? What if only B is zero? Explain.

Lesson Performance Task

An airplane takes off with a full tank of 40,000 gallons of fuel and flies at an average
speed of 550 miles per hour. After 8 hours in flight, there are 14,000 gallons of fuel left.
It will take another 3.5 hours for the plane to reach its destination. How much fuel will
be left in the tank when the plane lands? What is the total distance of the flight?

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Module 6 268 Lesson 3