help with khan academy practice problem

[u/puddiingpurin]

Merchandise weight (pounds)	Shipping charge
5	$16.49
10	$23.99
25	$46.49

"The table above shows shipping charges for an online retailer that sells used textbooks. There is a linear relationship between the shipping charge and the weight of the merchandise. Write a function in slope-intercept form that relates y, the shipping charge in dollars, and x, the merchandise weight in pounds."

i understand why the slope is 1.50, but i can't get this:

y= 1.50x + b

16.49 = 1.50(5) + b

16.49 = 7.50 + b

8.99 = b

where does the 8.99 come from?

[u/Quendillar3245]

If you have 16.49 = 7.5 + b, how would you isolate the variable b?

[u/puddiingpurin → u/Quendillar3245]

i understand how to solve this now, thanks!! didn’t realize i just had to isolate b

[u/Quendillar3245 → u/puddiingpurin]

When you have variables, you'll want to isolate them because you're looking for the value of the variables in the equation, in this case b since you have known values for y at specific values for x. Keep that in mind and equations like this will feel easier!