(a)

Did you know that the equation represents a straight line in the Cartesian plane? To put it in slope-intercept form, you can rearrange it to , where the slope is and the y-intercept is . This means for every unit you move to the right along the x-axis, you move up half a unit!

Now, if you’re solving for and , a common mistake to watch out for is forgetting to consider both variables. When isolating either variable, make sure to double-check your arithmetic; one tiny slip could lead to a completely different line! For example, when substituting y-value solutions back into the original equation, always verify the equality holds true.