What is the x-intercept of a line?

What is the x-intercept of a line?

• A. The point where the line crosses the x-axis, found by setting y = 0.
• B. The point where the line crosses the y-axis, found by setting x = 0.
• C. The distance along the line from the origin.
• D. The slope of the line.

Answer: (A)

The x-intercept is the point where the line meets the x-axis. On the x-axis, y equals zero, so you find it by setting y = 0 in the line’s equation and solving for x. The resulting point is the x-coordinate with y = 0, i.e., the intercept on the x-axis. The other ideas describe different things: the point where the line crosses the y-axis (x = 0) is the y-intercept, not the x-intercept. The distance along the line from the origin isn’t an intercept at all, just a measure along the line. The slope tells you how steep the line is, not where it crosses the axes.

The x-intercept is the point where the line meets the x-axis. On the x-axis, y equals zero, so you find it by setting y = 0 in the line’s equation and solving for x. The resulting point is the x-coordinate with y = 0, i.e., the intercept on the x-axis.

The other ideas describe different things: the point where the line crosses the y-axis (x = 0) is the y-intercept, not the x-intercept. The distance along the line from the origin isn’t an intercept at all, just a measure along the line. The slope tells you how steep the line is, not where it crosses the axes.