Standard Form

Intercepts

Cover-up Method

Another way to graph an equation in standard form is to use the cover-up method to find the intercepts of the line.

Example Graph 3x - 2y = 6 using the cover-up method.

Step 1 . To find the x-intercept, cover up the y term and solve for x.

coverup1

The x-intercept is (2, 0).

Step 2 . To find the y-intercept, cover up the x term and solve for y.

coverup2

The y-intercept is (0, -3)

Step 3. Plot the intercepts and draw a line through that extends in both directions.

coverup3