what’s the slope of the line through (-10,1) and (0,-4)?

Answer 1

Hi Jorden,

The Slope of a line when given two points:

1. First establish the two points as (X₁, Y₁) and (X₂,Y₂)
2. you can decide which point is (X₁, Y₁) and which point is (X₂,Y₂) in any order
3. So I choose (X₁, Y₁) = (-10,1) and (X₂,Y₂) = (0,-4)
4. Next use this equation to find the difference in rise/run (rise over run): (Y₂ - Y₁) / (X₂ - X₁)
5. Now we're ready to solve by plugging in our points: ( (-4) - 1 ) / ( 0 - (-10) ) **DON'T FORGET negatives attached to numbers when plugging in**
6. Solve: (-5) / 10 = -5 / 10 or -1 / 2 reduced by taking out a 5 from top and bottom. So your slope is equal to -1 / 2.

Answer 2

Slope is the change in y divided by the change in x, also known as rise over run. The formula is (y₂ - y₁) / (x₂ - x₁). The order may be reversed, and as long as you are consistent, you will get the same result. So the numbers work out to

(1 - (-4)) / (-10 - 0) = 5 / -10 = -1 / 2