AlgebraMediumDifference of a line's intercepts
Algebra practice question
In the xy-plane, the graph of 3x + 4y = 24 crosses the x-axis at (a, 0) and the y-axis at (0, b). What is the value of a − b?
Answer: 2
x-intercept: 3a = 24, a = 8. y-intercept: 4b = 24, b = 6. So a − b = 2.
Common wrong answers
- If you answered 14
- 14 is a + b.
- If you answered 48
- 48 is ab.
- If you answered -2
- −2 is b − a.
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