What is an equation of the line that passes through the point (-6,-8) and is parallel to the line x-2y=6?

Linear equations are typically organized in slope-intercept form: [tex]y=mx+b[/tex] where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept (the value of y when the line crosses the y-axis)
Parallel lines always have the same slope and different y-intercepts

1) Determine the slope (m)

[tex]x-2y=6[/tex]

Rearrange this equation into slope-intercept form (this will help us find the slope)

Subtract x from both sides

[tex]x-2y-x=6-x\\-2y=-x+6[/tex]

Divide both sides by -2

[tex]y=\frac{1}{2} x-3[/tex]

Now, we can identify clearly that the slope of the given line is [tex]\frac{1}{2}[/tex] since it's in the place of m. Because parallel lines always have the same slopes, the line we're currently solving for would therefore have a slope of [tex]\frac{1}{2}[/tex] as well. Plug this into [tex]y=mx+b[/tex]:

[tex]y=\frac{1}{2}x+b[/tex]

2) Determine the y-intercept (b)

[tex]y=\frac{1}{2}x+b[/tex]

Plug in the given point (-6,-8)

[tex]-8=\frac{1}{2}(-6)+b\\-8=-3+b[/tex]

Add 3 to both sides to isolate b

[tex]-8+3=-3+b+3\\-5=b[/tex]

Therefore, the y-intercept is -5. Plug this back into [tex]y=\frac{1}{2}x+b[/tex]:

[tex]y=\frac{1}{2}x-5[/tex]

I hope this helps!