Forget everything you know about rules for finding intercepts! If you can’t remember where the rule came from then it is wrong from the get go! Instead, work toward understanding the graphical nature of what an intercept is, and how you can use algebra to nail it with no effort at all!
In this pencast, Diane goes through the process. IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP: all you need is in the graph – don’t worry about remembering details, just be able to draw the picture you want!
This is a pretty simple pencast but I'm glad I looked over it in case I forget the basics. It's easy to understand and a nice relaxing step back from Strang.