16Hit1600
AlgebraVery hardParameter appearing in both points on a line

Algebra practice question

In the xy-plane, a line with slope 2 passes through the points (a, 3) and (4, a), where a is a constant. What is the value of a?

Answer: 11/3

Slope: (a − 3)/(4 − a) = 2 → a − 3 = 8 − 2a → 3a = 11 → a = 11/3.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 1
1 comes from setting the two y-values equal instead of using the slope.
If you answered 11
11 is 3a, before dividing by 3.
If you answered -5
−5 comes from a − 3 = 2a − 8.

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