Converting graph coordinance into an equation and finding the slope and y intercept

Glnzangel

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I am at a loss when it come to algebra. I have been in this class for four weeks, at this point I have a 68 average because I am teaching myself. No help from my instructor other than refer to the instructors policy.Please help.:confused:

This is the problem, I really need help from beginning to end. I feel like a child needing to be walked through how to do it.:(

The water line is given by the equation:y=-2/3x-12
Imagine you want to put a pink flamingo lawn ornament in your backyard. You want to avoid placing it directly over the water line in case you need to excavate the line for repairs in the future. Could you place it at the point (-4,-10)?


I am not searching for the answer,just help on how to get it. The past four weeks are the only algebra I have ever taken. At this point I am feeling extremely helpless.:cry:Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thankful for any help I can get.



 
I am at a loss when it come to algebra. I have been in this class for four weeks, at this point I have a 68 average because I am teaching myself. No help from my instructor other than refer to the instructors policy.Please help.:confused:

This is the problem, I really need help from beginning to end. I feel like a child needing to be walked through how to do it.:(

The water line is given by the equation:y=-2/3x-12
Imagine you want to put a pink flamingo lawn ornament in your backyard. You want to avoid placing it directly over the water line in case you need to excavate the line for repairs in the future. Could you place it at the point (-4,-10)?


I am not searching for the answer,just help on how to get it. The past four weeks are the only algebra I have ever taken. At this point I am feeling extremely helpless.:cry:Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thankful for any help I can get.




y = - 2/3 x - 12

First of all - do you understand what is meant by co-ordinates of a point?

You do not want to put the ornament at point, whose co-ordinates satisfies the equation of the line.
 
y = - 2/3 x - 12

First of all - do you understand what is meant by co-ordinates of a point?

You do not want to put the ornament at point, whose co-ordinates satisfies the equation of the line.



Maybe.
I understand very little of this I have never taken any algebra. I am so lost. I did know by looking at the graph that the flamingos would be sitting right up against the line, but nothing more.:???:
 
y = - 2/3 x - 12

First of all - do you understand what is meant by co-ordinates of a point?

You do not want to put the ornament at point, whose co-ordinates satisfies the equation of the line.



Maybe.
I understand very little of this I have never taken any algebra. I am so lost. I did know by looking at the graph that the flamingos would be sitting right up against the line, but nothing more.:???:

If you have never taken any algebra - then this class would be above your skill-level.

You need a face-to-face tutor.
 
This I already knew, but I wasn't asked what math I would like to take. This is the class that is requiered, and I really need help.
 
I'm guessing that you're taking an on-line math course. This is not a good idea, for people who struggle with math; on-line math courses are okay, for people who have the ability to "catch on fast" and the skills to recognize and deal with things like poor wording, errors in materials, and technical difficulties.

You're probably in over-your-head because on-line courses require those enrolled to be both the student and the teacher. How can a person teach themselves something that they do not really understand to begin with? The answer is: by putting forth ten times as much effort as needed in a traditional classroom.

I agree with Subhotosh; you need intense, face-to-face tutoring, to catch-up and keep-up with this course. Does your school provide tutoring resources? You should probably also schedule a conference with your instructor, to advise them of your situation and ask for advice.




I [do] know by looking at the graph that the [flamingo] would be sitting right up against the line


The flamingo is located at the point (-4, -10).

This point is not close to the line, so I'm not sure what graph you're looking at.

The exercise does not ask whether or not the point (-4, -10) is "right up against the line".

The exercise wants you to determine whether or not the point (-4, -10) is on the given line.

You can verify whether or not the point (-4, -10) is on the line by checking to see if the coordinates of the point satisfy the equation of the line.

In other words, if you substitute the values y = -10 and x = -4 into the line's equation and do the arithmetic on the righthand side, do you end up with an equation that's true?

Here's an example, using a different point.

EG: Can we place the flamingo at the point (5, 15) ?

At this point x = 5 and y = 15.

y = -2/3*x - 12

15 = (-2/3)(5) - 12

15 = -3.83

We did not end up with a true statement; hence, the point (5, 15) is not on the given line, and the answer in this example is "yes, we can place the flamingo at the point (5,15)".
 
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Thanks for the responses every one. Yes it is an online class thru UoP. In all of my other classes when I have had trouble all I had to do was send the instructor a message asking for help and I have always gotten the help I needed. In fact up to this point I have a very good experience with college, but with this course it is like someone stated; I am paying $1,200. to teach myself something I have no clue about. I have even spoken with my academic advisor and his answer was to ask the instructor to contact me. Her response to that was no, and to once again refer to the instuctors policy for help. I have been flitting around the internet for four weeks now looking for help and today totally in tears; I just happened to wonder if there was a message board somewhere for people like me to get some help.I thank everyone that tried to help me and I will be coming back here if I need more help. Wish me luck I have my mid term tomorrow and as long as I can keep my D so I can pass this class I will be happy.
 
wonder if there was a message board somewhere for people like me to get some help

I don't think so. People in your situation need a tutor sitting next to them.

Bulletin-board systems are not set up to teach classroom material or to provide intense tutoring.

If you have a specific question about some part of an exercise, we're happy to explain things. We do not have the resources to cover weeks of instruction.

Complaints against the University of Phoenix (a for-profit institution operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of some S&P 500 corporation called the Apollo Group) are many. If you research the lawsuits filed against the University of Phoenix, the story becomes worse.




Do you understand my example with the point (5, 15) ?
 
Actually I did do a lot of research and all I found was how good of a school they were.Where would I find the other stuff. As far as tutoring goes I kind of do not even see that helping. Yes your examples did help a lot. I am actually passing the class by the skin of my teeth because of people like you helping me by giving me examples that I can use to keep up with the formulas;as I said in an earlier post I do not want anyone to give me the answers. I really wanted to learn how to get the answers on my own, most of it I can do in my head; the problem comes in when I am asked to show my work. This coming weeks work seems to be something I do remember learning some where along the way. I am 41 years old and have been out of school for 22 years, so this is not coming to me very easily.So far I have passed every class with an A or a B, but I will be happy with a D in this one. I still have another algebra class to take next semester. I am not a stupid person but this class does not make me feel very smart. Like I said ealier Thank you so much for your help and for not making me feel worse about myself for not understanding all of this.
 
As far as tutoring goes I kind of do not even see that helping. Yes your examples did help a lot.

You do not realize it, but your first statement above contradicts the second. My provision of that example constitutes "tutoring".

This response is going to be wordy, but here are some of the benefits that I'm thinking that you would get from face-to-face tutoring.

The tutor could readily "get inside your head" by asking a quick series of questions designed to ascertain your misconceptions or lack of foundational material. We could do the same thing for you here, but the very nature of exchanging information back-and-forth via posts would be a waste of your time because it could take days just to finish a single exercise. Spreading out information over long periods is not a good way to learn; the brain needs frequent reinforcement, to retain information (i.e., long-term memory versus short-term memory).

The tutor could observe exactly what you're doing, as you work. Pointing out basic mistakes (or patterns of mistakes) would happen in real-time; this would enable you and the tutor to cover much more material in the same amount of time that it would take us here.

A tutor can help you to sort your way through all of the clutter (eg: symbols, properties, formulas, and concepts that all share similar terminology and descriptions) to focus on the task at hand because they would have access to your course materials, notes, and actual work. Forcing you to focus on the exact skills and information required for each exercise helps you to "see" the specific pieces needed and how they are related.

Having someone sitting next to you allows you to ask questions spontaneously, as they occur to you (just like in a real classroom); people posting messages for help on bulletin boards generally forget a lot of what confuses them, by they time they reach a computer and log-in.

Sometimes, people are not able to put a finger on exactly why they are confused, even to such an extent that they are incapable of forming any specific questions about it. A face-to-face tutor could help you understand why you are confused.

A tutor equipped with scratch paper can quickly cover a lot of material (by providing you repeated examples); doing this on the bulletin board could take hours to reproduce because drawing diagrams and coding mathematical typesetting is labor intensive. It is simply easier to scribble the same information using paper and pencil versus posting it.

I'm sure that there are other benefits, but I would sum up all of the benefits by saying something like, "Face-to-face tutoring is the best way to nip problems in the bud and get you where you need to be; this gives you the best return on the investment of your valuable time."

I really [want] to learn how to get the answers on my own, most of it I can do in my head; the problem comes in when I am asked to show my work.

Here is a good example of why a face-to-face tutor would be useful, while you're working on assignments. I understand that you have trouble showing your work, but I do not understand why. At this point, I can only surmise. Is it notation that escapes you? Do you not understand the meaning of some symbols (eg: uncertainty regarding the difference between symbols that represent variable numbers versus constants). Is it the manipulation of symbols that you find difficult (as in, perhaps, you're shuffling symbols around without understand why)?

Now, you must consider these questions, and post answers. Then, I will need to analyze your answers, to determine whether I'm confident that I now understand why you have trouble showing your work. If I'm not confident, I will need to post additional specific questions (designed to gain better insight into your specific situation). After that, you will need to respond to my new questions, and, by the time we're both on the same page, the original point of our exchange might be unclear. In other words, we might need to start anew.

A face-to-face tutor could determine (within a few minutes, at most) exactly what you mean when you say that you have trouble showing your work on exercises for which you've already determined the answer mentally. You could then move forward without delay or confusion.

So far I have passed every class with an A or a B

but this class does not make me feel very smart

Again, there seems to be a contradiction with these two statements. Nobody needs to feel smart, when studying mathematics. Whether you're aged 16 or 60, the process of learning math is a process of making mistakes, recognizing them, fixing them, and learning from them. That's how Albert Einstein did it.

Do your best to eliminate notions that you are somehow "deficient". In fact, based on some information that I've seen regarding the University of Phoenix, I do not hesitate to blame (at least, in part) these types of student feelings on poor on-line course design and execution. If you start to become frustrated, take a break and do something fun.

And, I am confident that you will feel better, after experiencing some intense face-to-face tutoring, getting back up to speed in this course.




We are willing to continue helping you on these boards, with any specific questions about symbols, terminology, formulas, definitions, concepts, et cetera.

Just keep in mind that the volunteers here do not generally have a lot of time to reproduce lectures or lessons on broad topics. The best way to get tutoring on these boards is to be as specific and complete as possible with each exercise. Show any work that you can. Describe what you're thinking. Start a new thread, for each new exercise or topic of discussion.

Cheers ~ Mark :cool:
 
mmm4444bot wrote:
Complaints against the University of Phoenix (a for-profit institution operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of some S&P 500 corporation called the Apollo Group) are many. If you research the lawsuits filed against the University of Phoenix, the story becomes worse.



I will say that my wife went to UoP. She felt, and I felt, that it was a quality education. I took many classes online through a different university, and her classes were more difficult than mine, and much more interactive than mine.

It was expensive, and at times she felt that she didn't get much help, "sink or swim"... Overcoming that obstacle is difficult when you are doing it, but is an accomplishment.

Having said that, I was able to help her in many of her classes, especially the math classes. She had a built in tutor.
 
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