1Cademy - Graphing $$x - 2y = 4$$ Using Intercepts

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Graphing a Line Using the Intercept Method

Example

Graphing $x - 2y = 4$ Using Intercepts

To graph the equation $x - 2y = 4$ using the intercept method:

Step 1 — Calculate the intercepts. Set $y = 0$ to find the x-intercept: $x - 2(0) = 4$ , meaning $x = 4$ , yielding $(4, 0)$ . Set $x = 0$ to find the y-intercept: $0 - 2y = 4$ , resulting in $-2y = 4$ and $y = -2$ , yielding $(0, -2)$ . Step 2 — Find a third solution point. Choose an arbitrary value, such as $x = 2$ . Substitute this into the equation: $2 - 2y = 4$ , which simplifies to $-2y = 2$ and $y = -1$ . This produces the check point $(2, -1)$ . Step 3 — Plot and check. Plot the three ordered pairs $(4, 0)$ , $(0, -2)$ , and $(2, -1)$ on a rectangular coordinate system and confirm they are collinear. Step 4 — Draw the line. Connect the verification points together into a single, extended straight line.

Updated 2026-04-23

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OpenStax Intermediate Algebra

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