3.

3
 Sometimes, we want to describe how
quickly a straight line is increasing
 Slope is the perfect tool to describe how the

y value for a straight line increases as the x

value increases
 Note: Slope applies to all functions, even

complicated curves, but in this course we

will only be studying the slope of straight
lines. Slopes of curves will be covered in
Precalculus/Calculus
 Slope can be found using a simple formula:
rise change in y
m= =
run change in x

 In other words, if we have two points (x1, y1)

and (x2, y2) on the same line:
y2 − y1
m=
x2 − x1
 Find the slope of the following line:

rise = 4
run = 2
X

rise 4
slope = = =2
run 2