Draw by Intercepts

The two intercepts are two points on the line, and two points are enough to draw it. For $x+2y = 4$, setting $y = 0$ gives the x-intercept (4, 0), and setting $x = 0$ gives the y-intercept (0, 2). Draw the line through those two points. For an equation in standard form, this is usually the fastest way to draw the graph, because you do not need to rearrange the equation.

The method does not work in two cases. If the line passes through the origin, both intercepts are the same point, (0, 0). The equation is then $y = mx$ for some slope m, and you need a second point from another substitution, such as $x = 1$. If one variable is missing from the equation, the line is flat or vertical and crosses only one axis.