Lineweaver-Burk Calculator Formula

Understand the math behind the lineweaver-burk calculator. Each variable explained with a worked example.

Use the Lineweaver-Burk Calculator

Formulas Used

Y-Intercept (1/Vmax)

y_intercept = 1 / vmax

Slope (Km/Vmax)

slope = km / vmax

X-Intercept (-1/Km)

x_intercept = -1 / km

Variables

VariableDescriptionDefault
vmaxVmax(umol/min)100
kmKm(uM)50

How It Works

Lineweaver-Burk Plot

The Lineweaver-Burk (double reciprocal) plot linearizes the Michaelis-Menten equation by plotting 1/v vs 1/[S].

Formula

1/v = (Km/Vmax) × (1/[S]) + 1/Vmax

This is a straight line with slope = Km/Vmax, y-intercept = 1/Vmax, and x-intercept = -1/Km. While historically important, nonlinear regression is preferred today because Lineweaver-Burk overweights low-concentration data.

Worked Example

An enzyme with Vmax = 100 umol/min and Km = 50 uM.

vmax = 100km = 50
  1. 01Y-intercept = 1/100 = 0.01
  2. 02Slope = 50/100 = 0.5
  3. 03X-intercept = -1/50 = -0.02

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Open Lineweaver-Burk Calculator