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Linear equations in two variables SAT question

Math · Algebra · Hard · Answer it here, explanation included.

The table gives the coordinates of two points on a line in the xy-plane. The y-intercept of the line is , where and are constants. What is the value of ?

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ExplanationShow

The correct answer is . It’s given in the table that the coordinates of two points on a line in the xy-plane are and . The y-intercept is another point on the line. The slope computed using any pair of points from the line will be the same. The slope of a line, , between any two points, and , on the line can be calculated using the slope formula, . It follows that the slope of the line with the given points from the table,  and , is , which is equivalent to , or . It's given that the y-intercept of the line is . Substituting for and the coordinates of the points and  into the slope formula yields , which is equivalent to , or . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by  yields . Therefore, the value of is .

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