In the standard (x, y) coordinate plane, what is the slope of the line joining the points (3, 7) and (4, -8)?
Answer (2)
( 3 , 7 ) an d ( 4 , − 8 ) F i rs t f in d t h e s l o p e o f t h e l in e t h r u t h e p o in t s m = x 2 − x 1 y 2 − y 1 m = 4 − 3 − 8 − 7 = 1 − 15 = − 15 N o w u se y = m x + b w i t h e i t h er p o in t t o f in d b , t h e y − in t erce pt : y = m x + b 7 = − 15 ∗ 3 + b 7 = − 45 + b b = 7 + 45 b = 52 y = − 5 x + 52 i s t h e an s w er
The slope of the line joining the points (3, 7) and (4, -8) is -15, indicating a downward trend. This can be calculated using the slope formula, which takes the difference in y-values divided by the difference in x-values. Therefore, as x increases, y decreases at a steep rate of 15 units for every 1 unit of increase in x.
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