Slope questions?

I'm a junior in high school and I'm kind of struggling with understanding slope in math class. Could anyone explain how to find the slope of a line, and maybe give a few example problems to help me practice? Thanks!

Sure, I'd be happy to help you with slope! Slope is a measure of how steep a line is and represents the change in the vertical direction (y) compared to the change in the horizontal direction (x). To find the slope of a line, you can use the following formula:

Slope (m) = (change in y) / (change in x) = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1)

Here, (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) represent two points on the line.

Now, let's go through a couple of example problems:

1. Find the slope of a line passing through the points (3, 4) and (1, 2).

Using the formula, we get:

m = (4 - 2) / (3 - 1) = 2 / 2 = 1

So, the slope of this line is 1.

2. Find the slope of a line passing through the points (-6, 5) and (4, -3).

Using the formula, we get:

m = (5 - (-3)) / (-6 - 4) = 8 / (-10) = -4/5

So, the slope of this line is -4/5.

Remember that the slope can be either positive, negative, zero, or undefined:

- Positive slope: The line goes upwards from left to right.

- Negative slope: The line goes downwards from left to right.

- Zero slope: The line is perfectly horizontal.

- Undefined slope: The line is perfectly vertical, and the denominator in the slope formula (x2 - x1) would be zero, making the slope undefined.

Keep practicing with different pairs of points to get the hang of it. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have more questions or need further clarification! Good luck with your math class!