Coordinate Geometry

y
5
Every straight line has a unique, individual NAME. 4 x+
The name is called its EQUATION and usually contains y=
an “x” and a “y” except for horizontals and verticals
3
5
2
which contain either x or y but not both.
1
x
Consider this. Here is a straight line that goes          

through (1, 4), (2, 3), (3, 2), (4, 1), (1 ½ , 3 ½ ) -1

-2
The equation that connects these pairs of x
-3
and y numbers is easy to find
-4

x+y=5 -5

This is the equation of the line that all these points lie on.
Also, there are millions of other points like (8, – 3) which
also lie on the line (if it’s extended). When you add 8 and KEY
– 3 you get 5, SO THE POINT (8, - 3) LIES ON THE LINE .
FACT!
 y (0,5) Y-intercept
x+y=5 5

If you make x = 0, then you will get y = 5. 2

(0, 5) is called the y-intercept 1

x

If you make y = 0, then you will get x = 5.          

-1

(5, 0) is called the x-intercept -2

(5,0) x-intercept
-3

You are also allowed to rearrange the -4

equation to make y the subject, i.e. “y= …” -5

y=5–x
This format is called the GRADIENT/Y-INTERCEPT FORMAT or “y = mx + c” because
you can easily read off
• the gradient : the number in front of x, i.e. m = – 1
• the y-intercept : the number on its own, i.e. c = 5
Check that these values actually agree with the graph.
 “m”
y2  y1
x2  x1

Rise
Run
y
x
 y
5.0

3 
2 2
1  3 x

-5.0 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5.0
-1

-2
2
-3
Gradient m 
3
-4

-5.0

The Question: How am I getting this result for

the gradient?
 y
5.0

4 
1
3 4
2

1
x

-5.0 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5.0
-1

-2 1
Gradient =
-3
4
-4

-5.0
 y
5.0

3
1
 2

1
x
5
-5.0 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5.0
-1

-2
5
 -3
Gradient =  5
1
-4

-5.0
 y
5.0

 1 
x

-5.0 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5.0
-1

-2

-3
Gradient = 0
-4

-5.0

Note – all horizontal lines have a ZERO GRADIENT!

 y
5.0

 4

2

1
x

-5.0 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5.0
-1

-2
2
-3
Gradient = 
6
-4
1
-5.0 
Note – all lines LEANING TO THE LEFT have a 3
NEGATIVE GRADIENT!
 y
5.0

1 4

2 3  3

2
6 1
x

-5.0 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5.0
-1

-2
IMPORTANT NOTE!
-3
It doesn’t matter
-4
where on the line
-5.0 your two points lie.
Had we chosen our 2nd point to be here then the triangle would have been here
and so the fraction would have been 1/3
which is the same as the 2/6 we had on the last slide when we used a different point!
 y
This line is infinitely 5.0

steep, so we say 4 
that its gradient is
3
undefined
2

1
x

-5.0 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5.0
-1

-2

-3

-4

-5.0 
The gradient of every vertical line is UNDEFINED
 Rise

Run
Gradient means slope or steepness of a line
The symbol for gradient is m. (Not “g”
as you might expect because g means
something else!),
Gradient of any line leaning to the
RIGHT is POSITIVE
Gradient of any line leaning to the
LEFT is NEGATIVE
Gradient of a HORIZONTAL line is ZERO
Gradient of a VERTICAL line is
UNDEFINED Rise
Gradient =
Run
You can also calculate the gradient
without drawing a graph.
Suppose we have two points A(x1, y1) and B(x2, y2).
y

Note that the x and y

coordinates tell you the y2• •B(x ,y )2 2

height and distance of each

(y 2 – y 1)
RISE
point relative to the axes
It is now just a matter of
subtracting these to get y1• •A(x1,y1)
the rise and run...........

Rise = y2 – y1 •x RUN 1
•x 2
x

(x2 – x1)
Run = x2 – x1
So the gradient, m is given by

Rise (y2 – y1)

Rise
m Run (x2 – x1)
Run
or, using the fact that the RISE is (y2 – y1) and
the RUN is (x2 – x1) as shown on the previous
slide..........
The Gradient
formula.....
y2  y1
m
x2  x1
 y2  y1
m
Finding gradient using the formula x2  x1

E.g. Find the gradient of the line joining (3, – 4 ) to (– 2, 6)

Label these as follows x1 y 1 x 2 y2

y2  y1
m
x2  x1
6  4
m
23 You can also verify (check) this by
drawing a graph, marking the two
10
m points and joining the line. Its gradient
5 should be – 2 (should lean left and go
up 2 for every 1 across)

m  2
 Read off gradient m and y-intercept c from the equation

If the equation of a straight line is y = mx + c, where m and c are

numbers, then

m is the gradient
c is the y-intercept

E.g. Find the gradient and y-intercept of the line y = – x + 5

y
5

m is – and c = 5 4

1
x

         
-1

-2

-3

-4

-5
 Finding the equation if you know gradient and y-intercept

Formula: y=mx+c m = gradient

c = y-intercept

E.g. Find the equation of the line having gradient 5 and y-intercept (0, 4)

Write your info: m = 5 and c = 4

Write the formula y = mx + c
Substitute the info:

y = 5x + 4
 Finding Equations
of lines from the graph
Example – find the equation of this line
4 y


1
2
x

−6 −4 −2 3
2 4 6

−1

−2 
−3

−4

Step 1. Locate two points on cross-gridlines and put a dot on each.

Step 2. Make these the corners of a triangle as shown above
Step 3. Label the lengths of each of these two sides (rise is 3 and run is 2)
Step 4. Write the fraction RISE/RUN. 3
2 3
Step 5. If the line leans LEFT, then put m
a negative in front. 2
 4 y

1
x

−6 −4 −2 2 4 6

−1

−2

−3

−4

Step 6. state the y-intercept, c.

C=1
Step 7. Use your values of m and y = mx + c becomes
c to write the equation
3
y   x 1
2
Now try these….
 y
5

4
m is positive as it
3
leans to the right
2

1
m= =1
x

          c= –2
-1

-2
y = 1x – 2
or
-3

-4
y=x–2
(ans)
-5
 y
5

4
m is positive as it
3 leans to the right
2

1 m= =
x

          c = -3
-1
y = x – 3 (ans)
-2

-3

-4

-5
 y
5

4
m is positive as it
3 leans to the right
2

1
m = 3/4
x

          c= 0
-1
y= ¾x No c
-2

-3

-4
NOTE If it goes through
-5 the origin then the y
intercept = 0, so there
will be no “c” on the end
of the equation!
Verticals and Horizontals

If BOTH x and y are present in an equation, then the line is on a TILT.

If ONLY y is present, then the line is HORIZONTAL. Format : y = NUMBER

If ONLY x is present, then the line is VERTICAL. Format : x = NUMBER

y y
5 5

4 4

Horizontal 3
Vertical 3

2 2

y=2 1 x = -1 1

x x

                   

-1 -1

-2 -2

-3
-3

-4
-4

-5
-5
The pink panther’s guide
to handling straight lions
lines…………………
In this powerpoint, we draw the graph of

2x + 3y = 6

Using 3 different methods

1. Gradient & y-intercept , y = mx + c GO

2. x and y-intercepts GO

3. Table of values GO
 Using Gradient and y-intercept

Plot 2x + 3y = 6 using gradient and y-intercept

When the equation is not written as “y = ….” then you NEED TO REARRANGE and
make y the subject.

Step 1: Rearrange into form y = mx + c

2x + 3y = 6

3y = – 2x + 6

Step 2: Read off m and c

y =– x+5
m=– c= 5
Step 3: Plot y intercept at 2
y
5

2 
1
x

         
-1

-2

-3

-4

-5
 Gradient and y-intercept
(continued)

We’re plotting 2x + 3y = 6 using gradient and y-

intercept
2 Rise is 2
m
3 Run is 3
Negative sign means it leans to LEFT

Step 4 – Noting gradient is negative, line

must lean to the left. Begin at y-intercept
and make a triangle whose rise is 2 and run
is 3. Plot your 2nd point where you end up.
Step 5 – Join
 Either option gives
y
points lying in the
Another option: 5 same line!
up (+2) then left
(-3)  4

2  One option: down (-2)

Now then right (+3)
1
join x
the       

  
dots -1 2x
+3
y=
-2
6
-3
Don’t forget Throughout the whole process
-4 Remember to LEAN LEFT and go
arrows & label 3 horizontally for every 2
-5
vertically
Back to table of contents
 Using x and y intercepts

Example: Plot 2x + 3y = 6 using x and y-intercepts

x 0 y-intercept
Step 1 – set up a
table like this y 0 x-intercept

Remember the
y-intercept has x = 0
and
x-intercept has y = 0
2x + 3y = 6
x 0 3

Step 2 – finding y 2 0
the intercepts

To find y intercept, To find x intercept,

MAKE x = 0 MAKE y = 0
2x + 3y = 6 2x + 3y = 6
2(0) + 3y = 6 2x + 3(0) = 6
3y = 6 2x = 6
so y = 2 so x = 3

Step 3 – Plot (0, 2) and (3, 0) then join

 y
5

2 
1
x

      
  
2x
-1 +3
y=
-2 6

-3
Compare with
-4
other slides –
same line! -5

Back to table of contents

 Table of values

Example: Plot 2x + 3y = 6 by completing a Table of

values
Step 1 – Draw a Table and place x values in

x -3 0 3
y

Step 2 – Substitute x values to complete y values

creating points.
x -3 0 3
y 4 2 0
Step 3 – Now plot the points on a Cartesian plane
and join the points with a ruler
. 5
y

2 
1
x

      

  2x
-1 +3
y=
6
-2

-3

-4

-5
 If a point (a, b) lies on a
line, then you can
substitute these numbers in
place of x and y and the
equation will still hold true.
  (3, 5)

2
Does the point (3, 5) +
x
=
lie on y
the line y = x + 2 ?

In the equation y = x + 2 , substitute

3 in place of x
5 in place of y

y=x+2 becomes 5=3+2 This is TRUE so (3, 5) DOES

lie on the line y = x + 2
Does the point (5, -9)
lies
on the line x – y = 12?
12
=
y
–
x
 ( 5, -9)
In the equation x – y = 12 , substitute

5 in place of x
-9 in place of y

x - y = 12 becomes 5 - -9 = 12 This is FALSE so (5,-9) DOES

NOT lie on the line x – y = 12
The point (3, a) lies on the line
x + 2y = 5. Find a. So (3, 1) lies on x + 2y = 5

In the equation x + 2y = 5 , substitute

3 in place of x
a in place of y

x + 2y = 5 becomes 3 + 2a = 5
2a = 5 – 3
a=1
 y = 4x + c
becomes
A line passes through (-3, 2) and has
a gradient of 4. Find its y-intercept 2 = 4(-3) + c
and equation 2 = -12 + c

14 = c
Begin by letting the line’s and we know m = 4
equation be y = mx + c

As its gradient is 4, we can rewrite the so we can construct the

equation as y = 4x + c equation y = mx + c

As (-3, 2) lines on the line, we can

substitute these numbers into the
equation y = 4x + c y = 4x + 14
Now check the graph next
page
Graph of y = 4x + 14
y
15
y-intercept is 14
13

11

7
rise:run ratio is
point (-3,2) 5 4:1, so gradient 4
3

1 x

         

-3

-5
 The Equation of a Line y

Method 1 – using y = mx + c

Example: Find the equation of the  B (x2 , y2 )

line which has slope m = 3 and
which passes through (– 2, 5)

Solution:  A (x1 , y1 )
Step 1 – find m
Let the equation of the line be y = mx + c.
We are told m = 3 so substitute this in….
y = 3x + c
x

Step 2 – find c
We know (– 2, 5) fits so substitute these
in in place of x and y.
y = 3x + c becomes y = 3x + 11
5 = 3(– 2) + c Once you have your answer, check correctness by
c = 11 substituting (– 2, 5) in to make sure it lies on the line!

5 = 3(– 2) + 11 
 The Equation of a Line y

Method 2 – using y – y1= m(x – x1)

Example: Find the equation of the  B (x2 , y2 )

line which has slope m = 3 and
which passes through (– 2, 5)

Solution:  A (x1 , y1 )

y – y1= m(x – x1)

Substitute
x1 = – 2 x

y1 = 5
m = 3
y – 5 = 3(x – – 2 )
y = 3x + 11
y – 5 = 3(x + 2 )
y – 5 = 3x + 6
 The Midpoint Formula
Let A (x1 , y1) and B (x2 , y2) be two points.  B (x2 , y2)
 M (? , ?)
 A (x1 , y1)
We often need to find M, the point halfway between A
and B. This is called the MIDPOINT and its coordinates
are found by averaging the x’s and averaging the y’s.

 x1  x2 y1  y2  P249 Ex 6.3
M  ,  Q1 a,i,m,n,t
 2 2  Q2 do ALL
 The Distance Formula
Let A (x1 , y1) and B (x2 , y2) be two points.  B (x2 , y2)
D
y2 – y 1
A (x1 , y1)
x2 – x 1

We often need to find d, the distance between A and B.
This is found using PYTHAGORAS

P252 Ex 6.4
D  ( x2  x1 ) 2  ( y2  y1 ) 2 Q1 a,i,m,n,t
Q2 do a-f
 Parallel lines

Parallel lines have the same gradient

If the two lines y = m1x + c1 and y = m2x + c2 are parallel,
then

m1 = m2
Example…find the equation of the line through (5, – 3) which is parallel to the
line 3x – 4y = 8.

Step 1 Change equation into “y=“ format to read off gradient

3x – 4y = 8 Gradient m = ¾
– 4y = 8 – 3x
Now we use the formula
4y = – 8 + 3x
y=–2+¾x Using same m
y – y1 = m(x – x1 ) value because
they are parallel

Step 2 Substitute for m, x1 and y1 m=¾

x1 = 5
y – y1 = m(x – x1 )
y1 = – 3
y – – 3 = ¾ (x – 5 )
y + 3 = ¾ x – 15/4
Step 4 Clean up
Step 3 Multiply through by 4 to get rid of
fractions 4y = 3 x – 27
4y + 12 = 3 x – 15
Perpendicular lines

Perpendicular lines have negative

reciprocal gradients
If the two lines y = m1x + c1 and y = m2x + c2 are
perpendicular, then

m1 = -
Or, to put it
another way,

m1 x m2 = – 1
 Illustration
Here are two perpendicular lines
The gradient of the red line = +
y
5
The gradient of the purple line = –
4

3
When two lines are perpendicular
the rise of one becomes the run of 2

the other, and vice versa. 1

x

         
The two gradients are called -1
negative reciprocals…..
-2

• their signs are opposite, and -3

• one is the reciprocal of the other -4

They also multiply to equal – 1! -5

If one line has a gradient….. Then a line perpendicular to it
has a gradient……
½ –2
–3 1/3
5 – 1/5
–1 1
5/6 – 6/5
2.5 (change to 2 ½ or 5/2) – 2/5

These pairs of numbers are negative

reciprocals of each other.
They also multiply to make – 1
Example…find the equation of the line through (–1, 5) which is perpendicular to
the line 3y – 2x = 12

Step 1 Change equation into “y=“ format to read off gradient

3y – 2x = 12 Gradient m =
3y = 12 + 2x
So our new gradient m = –
y = 4 +x
Now we use the formula
Using negative
y – y1 = m(x – x1 ) reciprocal
because they are
perpendicular
Step 2 Substitute for m, x1 and y1 m=–
x1 = – 1
y – y1 = m (x – x1 )
3 y1 = 5
y – 5 =  2 (x + 1 )
3 3
y – 5 =  x Step 4 Clean up
2 2
Step 3 Mult through by 2 to get rid of fractions
2y – 10 = – 3x – 3 2y + 3x = 7
See next slide for a visual
Find the equation of the line through (–1, 5) which is perpendicular to the line 3y
– 2x = 12
y
(– 1,5)  5

1 2
x = 3
–2 This is the line we want!!
3y 2
m = 2/3

2y
+3
1

x=
x

7
         
-1
m = – 3/2
-2

-3

-4

-5
 2 y = – 3/2 x + 4
y  x2
3
y
c=4
c=–2 5
m = –3/2
m = 2/3 4 
3 leans left
leans right
2 run is 2
run is 3 
1
rise is 3
x
rise is 2       
  
-1

-2 
-3

-4

-5
The lines are perpendicular – their gradients are
NEGATIVE RECIPROCALS of each other!
 The gradient of one line was 2/3 and the
gradient of the other was – 3/2.
When 2 lines are perpendicular (meet at 90°)
their gradients are negative reciprocals (change
sign and flip upside down)

Grad of 1st line Grad of 2nd line

2 3

3 2
3 4

4 3
1
5

 really
5
 
 1 5
1
3
3
1
 2
2