1. **State the problem:** Find the equation of the trend line passing through the points $(-4, -36)$ and $(6, 54)$. The equation of a line is generally written as $y = mx + b$, where $m$ is the slope and $b$ is the y-intercept. 2. **Find the slope $m$:** The slope formula is $$m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}$$ where $(x_1, y_1) = (-4, -36)$ and $(x_2, y_2) = (6, 54)$. Substitute the values: $$m = \frac{54 - (-36)}{6 - (-4)} = \frac{54 + 36}{6 + 4} = \frac{90}{10} = 9$$ 3. **Find the y-intercept $b$:** Use the equation $y = mx + b$ with one of the points to solve for $b$. Using $(-4, -36)$: $$-36 = 9 \times (-4) + b$$ $$-36 = -36 + b$$ $$b = 0$$ 4. **Write the equation:** Substitute $m = 9$ and $b = 0$ into the line equation: $$y = 9x + 0$$ Or simply: $$y = 9x$$ **Final answer:** The equation of the trend line is $y = 9x$.