# Why are slope and y-intercept m and b?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-slope-and-y-intercept-m-and-b/561613>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 23, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-slope-and-y-intercept-m-and-b/561613 "2010-11-23T02:30:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-slope-and-y-intercept-m-and-b/561613/21 "2010-11-24T06:28:19Z")

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> [@Dervorin](#):
>
> In the UK, Australia, Bahamas, Brunei, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jamaica, Malaysia, Malta, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe  
> y = mx + c

It was y = mx + b at my school in Australia in the 1970s.

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