HOW TO GRAPH A LINEAR INEQUALITY

Part 1 Preparing To Graph

Getting Ready to Graph the Inequality Get pencil, eraser, pencil crayon Get ruler and graph paper Draw x- and y-axes on graph paper. Label numbers on the axes

Determining the Type of Line to Draw Decide what kind of line will be drawn signs draw a dashed line signs draw a solid line

Determine your method of graphing the line Decide if line is to be drawn using y = mx + b or by using intercepts. If the y value is already by itself it’s easier to use y = mx + b

Part 2 Drawing The Line Using y = mx + b

Obtaining Slope & y-Intercept Isolate y if it is not already by itself Identify the slope in front of the x. Indicate the rise and the run Indicate y-intercept and plot on axes

Drawing the Line Using Points and Slopes Use rise & run to plot new points from the y-intercept Plot a minimum of 3 points Join points in a dashed or solid line as indicated by the inequality.

Part 3 Drawing the Line Using x- and y- Intercepts

Calculating x-Intercepts Substitute 0 in for variable y. Solve for variable x. Plot the x-intercept on the graph.

Calculating y-Intercepts Substitute 0 in for variable x. Solve for variable y. Plot the y-intercept on the graph.

Joining The Intercepts Join intercepts with a dashed or solid line as indicated by the inequality.

Part 4 Shading The Inequality

Choosing Direction to Shade Pick a test point NOT on the line. Plug test point into the inequality If the result is true, shade the side of the line the test point lies If the result is false, shade the other side of the line where the test point lies