Standard Form
Intercepts
When a linear equation in two variables is given in standard form, Ax + By = C, often the two most convenient points (solutions) to find are called the intercepts: these are the points at which the line intersects the coordinate axes.
The point at which the line crosses the y-axis is called the y-intercept. The x-value at this point is zero. The y-intercept can be found by substituting the value of 0 for x into the equation and solving for y.
The point at which the line crosses the x-axis is called the x-intercept and the y-value at that point is zero. The x-intercept can be found by substituting the value of 0 for y into the equation and solving for x.
Graphing an equation by finding the intercepts is called the intercept method.