Year 11 Maths Question Please

[ruggief]

What is the meaning of a,b and c in the equation

ax+by=c

Relating to Mathematics finding the equation for a straight line in a graph?

Many thanks

[Togo]

A,B,C are constants.

[Prudie]

If you rearrange to make y the 'subject' to get
by = -ax +c
Then divide by b to get y alone
y= -a/bx +c/b
Then the gradient of the line is -a/b and it cuts the x axis at c/b
That's what I remember anyway. (general equation of a line being y=mx +c where m is the gradient and c where it cuts the x-axis)

[Kidas]

a, b, c are constants, sometimes called 'coefficients'.

x, y are variables

[fiction-factory]

as prudie says, except c (or in this cases c/b) is the y value where the line cuts the y axis rather than the x axis

[Prudie]

rats I could kick myself, such a long time since I used that and as I was posting thought was it x or y axis. Of course if I'd taken a couple of seconds to try a couple of co-ords I'd have known better :-)