Step 3: From the point plotted on the y-axis, use the slope to find your second point. Remember, the slope is the number in the m position in your equation. In the equation y = x – 3 the slope is 1 since the variable counts as one. The slope of a line is the slant of the line and it is expressed as egin{aligned} frac{rise}{run} end{aligned} the rise being the up and down on the y-axis and the run being the distance right or left. In our example above the slope is egin{aligned} frac{1}{1} end{aligned} . From the point (0,-3) on the y-axis use the slope to find the second point. In this case go up one and over one to the right to the point (1,-2). This will be your second point. Don’t get caught up in the up or down in the (rise) part of the fraction egin{aligned} frac{rise}{run} end{aligned}. It’s the run, or side to side that matters since that will determine whether the line will be a positive or negative slope. In our example above, we could go down one from point (0,-3) and to the left one to maintain our positive slope.