General Form

• The general form for a linear equation is Ax + By = C, where A, B and C are integers and A is greater than zero. However, you cannot graph a line from this format on its own. To graph a line from this format, perform basic algebraic functions to get the slope-intercept form, where "y" is isolated on one side of the equal sign. For example, if you have the equation, 4x + 2y = 16, subtract 4x from both sides to get 2y = -4x + 16, and then divide both sides by 2 to get y = -2x + 8. See the next section to graph this format.
  
  

Slope-Intercept Form

• The slope-intercept form of a linear equation can be graphed simply using the information in the equation. The basic format of the slope-intercept equation is y = Mx + B, where M is the line's slope and B is the y-intercept of the line. The slope is the "rise and run" of the line, and the y-intercept is where the line hits the y-axis. For example, to graph the line y = -2x + 8, first draw a dot at the point (0, 8), or eight squares up from the center of the graph on the vertical axis. Next, plot the slope that is -2/1. The rise is the top part of the fraction and the run is the bottom. From your first point, count down two squares and right one square. Make another point at that spot and draw a line connecting those two points.
  
  

Intercept-Intercept Form

• The intercept-intercept form is expressed generally as x/A + y/B = 1, where the x-intercept = A and the y-intercept = B. To graph this line, simply plot the points of the x- and y-intercepts, and then draw a line connecting those two points. For example, with the line x/14 + y/24 = 1, plot the points (14, 0) and (0, 24) on your graph before drawing the line.
  
  

Point Slope Form

• The point-slope form of a line is generally expressed as (y-A) / (x-B) = M, where (B, A) is any point on the line and the slope is M. To graph the line, simply plot the point (B, A) on the graph and determine the next point using the slope (i.e., the "rise and run") of the line. For example, to graph the line (y+2)/(x-4) = 2, draw a dot at the point (4, -2), or four squares to the right of the center of the graph and two squares down. Plot the slope, which is 2/1 (the rise is the top part of the fraction and the run is the bottom). From your first point, count up two squares and right one square. Make another point at that spot, and then draw a line connecting those two points.