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How to Identify the Slope

The slope of a graph indicates the steepness of the curve on a chosen interval between two points. Slope is a simple measurement of a line and is a ratio of the difference between the y-values of two points on the line -- the "rise" -- divided by the difference between the x-values of two points on the line -- the "run." The larger the slope is, the steeper the line is between two points.

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the difference of the x-coordinate of the point. For example, if you are determining the slope of a curve between the origin (0, 0) and (5, 9), the x difference is equal to (5 - 0) = 5.
- 2
  Measure the difference of the y-coordinate of the point. For example, if you are determining the slope of a curve between the origin (0, 0) and (5, 9), the y difference is equal to (9 - 0) = 9.
- 3
  Divide the y difference by the x difference to find the slope of the curve between the two points. For example, with the difference of x being 5 and y being 9, the slope is equal to (y / x) = 9/5.

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