Intercept

Pronunciation: /ˈɪn.tərˌsɛpt/ Explain

Click on the blue curve and drag it to change the figure. Manipulative 1 - X-Intercept Created with GeoGebra.

An intercept is a point where a graph intersects (crosses) an axis. A x-intercept is a point where a graph intersects the x-axis. A y-intercept is a point where a graph intersects the y-axis. A z-intercept is a point where a graph intersects the z-axis. Manipulative 1 shows the x-intercepts of a graph. Manipulative 2 shows the y-intercepts of a graph. Click on the blue curves in the manipulatives and drag them to change the figure. Note that the intercepts change as the graph changes.

Click on the blue curve and drag it to change the figure. Manipulative 2 - Y-Intercept Created with GeoGebra.

References

1. McAdams, David E.. All Math Words Dictionary, intercept. 2nd Classroom edition 20150108-4799968. pg 100. Life is a Story Problem LLC. January 8, 2015. Buy the book
2. Bettinger, Alvin K. and Englund, John A.. Algebra and Trigonometry. pp 170-171. www.archive.org. International Textbook Company. January 1963. Last Accessed 8/7/2018. http://www.archive.org/stream/algebraandtrigon033520mbp#page/n187/mode/1up/search/intercept. Buy the book
3. Hall, Henry Sinclair. A Short Introduction to Graphical Algebra. 2nd edition. pp 5-7. www.archive.org. Macmillan and Co. Limited.. 1903. Last Accessed 8/7/2018. http://www.archive.org/stream/shortintroductio00halluoft#page/6/mode/1up/search/intercept. Buy the book

Cite this article as:

McAdams, David E. Intercept. 12/21/2018. All Math Words Encyclopedia. Life is a Story Problem LLC. http://www.allmathwords.org/en/i/intercept.html.

Image Credits

• All images and manipulatives are by David McAdams unless otherwise stated. All images by David McAdams are Copyright © Life is a Story Problem LLC and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Revision History

12/21/2018: Reviewed and corrected IPA pronunication. (McAdams, David E.)
8/6/2018: Removed broken links, updated license, implemented new markup, implemented new Geogebra protocol. (McAdams, David E.)
2/17/2010: Added "References". (McAdams, David E.)
3/10/2009: Corrected definition of a z-intercept. (McAdams, David E.)
12/12/2008: Initial version. (McAdams, David E.)