Draw a Straight Line from Given Information

Drawing a Straight Line from Given Information

Understand the basic definition of a line on a 2-D coordinate plane. A line is the path of a point moving in space and it is determined by two points.
Know that every straight line can be defined by its gradient and a point on it. If you have the coordinates of two points on the line, you can draw it.
In many cases, you’ll already be given the line’s gradient (the ‘m’ in the equation of a line), and a point on the line (coordinates (x,y)).
Use the gradient to determine the ‘steepness’ of the line. A positive gradient slopes upwards from left to right, a negative gradient does the opposite.
Draw an x-y axis on your graph paper and plot the initial point given. From there, use the gradient to plot other points on the line.
Remember that the gradient is represented as a ‘rise’ over ‘run’ ratio. If your gradient is 3, for example, you will rise 3 units for every 1 unit you run.
Once you’ve plotted at least two points on your graph paper, use a straight edge to draw the line that passes through them.
Practice will help you get a better understanding. Try drawing lines from different pieces of given information, such as two points, or a gradient and a point.
Remember to always check your line against whatever information was given. A mistake in plotting can lead to large errors later in calculations.
Key point: A line in two space is fundamentally determined by either two points or a known point and a gradient.