How do you graph y equals 3x?

Answer 1

That would be a very simple graph, in the form of a straight line. The line passes through the origin, that is, the intersection of the x and y axes, since as you see from the defining equation y = 3x, when x is zero, y is also zero (3x0 = 0). To draw the line we need only one other point. Let look at x = 4. So, y = 3x4 = 12. We mark a dot at (4,12) and then connect that dot to the origin and voila, we have the graph. The line can be extended as far as you like, of course, it doesn't run only from x=0 to x=4. Lines continue forever.

Answer 2

Draw a straight line through the origin, tilting down at 45 degrees ... up on the left

and sliding down to the right ... sloping so that for every unit it moves to the right,

it drops 3 units lower.

An easier way to talk about it, and maybe easier to draw it, is to find 2 points on the line,

and then connect them.

Finding two points is easy. Just pick any two 'x's, and use the equation to find 'y' for each one:

-- When 'x' is zero, y = -3x = also zero.

-- When 'x' is 1, y = -3x = -3.

There you have it. One point is (0, 0) ... that's the origin ... and the other point is (1, -3).

Just make a little dot at both of those points, lay your ruler across both dots, draw the

line as far as you want to go in both directions, and that line is your graph.