Question

What is a slope of a line mean?

What is the slope of the line that cuts through the points (1, 2) and (5, 4)?
What is the slope of the line that cuts through the points (1, -5) and (3, 5)?
Is the function that cuts through the points (2, 3) and (-1, 6) increasing or decreasing?
What is the slope of the line that cuts through the points (4, 2) and (-2, 2)?

Answer 1

1/5, 1, decreasing, 0

Explanation:

Answer 2

• 1/2, 5, decreasing, 0

Explanation:

Use slope formula:

• m = (y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1)

1) Points (1, 2) and (5, 4)

• m = (4 - 2)/(5 - 1) = 2/4 = 1/2

2) Points (1, -5) and (3, 5)

• m = (5 - (-5))/(3 - 1) = 10/2 = 5

3) Points (2, 3) and (-1, 6)

• m = (6 - 3)/(-1 - 2) = 3/-3 = -1

• Slope is negative, so function is decreasing

4) Points (4, 2) and (-2, 2)

• m = (2 - 2)/(-2-4) = 0/-6 = 0