Section 14.4 Closing Ideas
In the last two sections, we have seen two different forms for the equation of a line. Why would we need two different versions of the same thing?
The slope-intercept form is very useful in practical applications. It has a form that can be interpreted in useful ways.
The point-slope form is more flexible, and can be applied in both practical and theoretical applications. However, it does not give a unique formula for each line and is often harder to intuitively visualize.
One of the keys to mathematical thinking is having the flexibility to see the same thing in different ways. This is not the only time this theme will come up. Later on, we're going to look at several ways of understanding another concept, and see that each one has their own strengths and weaknesses.
As you continue to learn more mathematics, do not assume that simply because you know how to do things in a certain way that it is the "correct" way of looking at it. It may be that a different approach will yield even better results.