What represents the slope of a line?

Answer 1

slope of a straight line = "rise over run" = difference in y coordinates divided by corresponding difference in x coordinates = (y2 -y1)/(x^2 - x1) = how fast y increases as x increases = the coefficient of the x term when the linear equation is solved for y

if it's a curved line, then slope = the slope of the tangent line at a point. slopes of curved lines change, while slope of a straight line remains constant. for example y=x^2 is a parabola. slope at any point on the curve = the derivative

= y' = 2x. At the point(3,9) the slope = 2(3) = 6

slope is different at every different point

slope of a flat horizontal line =0,

slope of a vertical line is undefined or indeterminate, either +infinity or - infinity