4x + y = 5 There are of course an infinite number of solutions (pick any real number, substitute it for either variable in the equation, and solve for the other variable). Two that are very easy to find are (a,0) and (0,b); these points are/contain the x and y intercepts (different authors define them differently). Just substitute the point coordinate values for x and y in the equation and solve for the remaining letter variable. Substituting into the given equation: (a,0): 4a + 0 = 5 ==> a = 5/4 and (a,0) = (5/4,0) (0,b): 4(0) + b = 5 ==> b = 5 and (0,b) = (0,5)