Slope Part 1: Slope Basics
If a line has a positive slope the line will be increasing from left to right. If a line has a negative slope the line will be decreasing from left to right. If you remember from Algebra 1, slope is the change in y over the change in x also know as it's Rate of Change. Slope is a constant, which means, it does not change and that's what keeps the line straight. Straight lines are also known as Linear. The bigger a lines slope (> 1) the steeper the line will be because you are rising more than you are running and the smaller a lines slope (< 1) the flatter the line will because you are rising less than you are running.
Slope Part 2: Finding the Slope of a Line
There are two ways to find the slope of a line: 1) From a Graph and 2) Using the Slope Formula. If you are finding the slope of a line from a graph you simply just count the "rise" and "run" from one point to the next and write your answer in fraction form. Slope is always in Simplest Form (reduced). If you are not given a graph, you take two points on the line and substitute the coordinates into the Slope Formula.
There are two ways to find the slope of a line: 1) From a Graph and 2) Using the Slope Formula. If you are finding the slope of a line from a graph you simply just count the "rise" and "run" from one point to the next and write your answer in fraction form. Slope is always in Simplest Form (reduced). If you are not given a graph, you take two points on the line and substitute the coordinates into the Slope Formula.
Using the Slope Formula you can see mathematically why a Horizontal Line has a slope of zero and why a Vertical Line has an Undefined or No Slope. In math it is "illegal" to divide by zero. So if you have zero in the numerator your slope is Zero but if you have zero in the denominator your line has No Slope. |