Which of the following does not correctly refer to the slope of a line? A) It is the ratio of vertical change to horizontal change. B) It represents the steepness of a line. C) m= rise/run D) m= change in x/ change in y
Answers
Step-by-step explanation:
You can determine the slope of a line from its graph by looking at the rise and run. One characteristic of a line is that its slope is constant all the way along it. So, you can choose any 2 points along the graph of the line to figure out the slope. Let’s look at an example.
Example
Problem
Use the graph to find the slope of the line.

rise = 2
Start from a point on the line, such as (2, 1) and move vertically until in line with another point on the line, such as (6, 3). The rise is 2 units. It is positive as you moved up.
run = 4
Next, move horizontally to the point (6, 3). Count the number of units. The run is 4 units. It is positive as you moved to the right.
Slope = 
Slope = .
Answer
The slope is .
This line will have a slope of  no matter which two points you pick on the line. Try measuring the slope from the origin, (0, 0), to the point (6, 3). You will find that the rise = 3 and the run = 6. The slope is . It is the same!
Let’s look at another example.
Example
Problem
Use the graph to find the slope of the two lines.

Notice that both of these lines have positive slopes, so you expect your answers to be positive.
rise = 4
Blue line
Start with the blue line, going from point (-2, 1) to point (-1, 5). This line has a rise of 4 units up, so it is positive.
run = 1
Run is 1 unit to the right, so it is positive.
Slope = 
Substitute the values for the rise and run in the formula Slope = .
rise = 1
Red line
The red line, going from point (-1, -2) to point (3, -1) has a rise of 1 unit.
run = 4
The red line has a run of 4 units.
Slope = 
Substitute the values for the rise and run into the formula Slope =.
Answer
The slope of the blue line is 4 and the slope of the red line is .
When you look at the two lines, you can see that the blue line is steeper than the red line. It makes sense the value of the slope of the blue line, 4, is greater than the value of the slope of the red line, . The greater the slope, the steeper the line.