Question

What is the slope of the line that passes through the points (-5, 8) and (-5, 4)?

Answer 1

Answer: Undefined

Explanation:

We can use the slope formula to solve;

`\displaystyle (y_(2) -y_(1) )/(x_(2) -x_(1) )`

Given:

`\displaystyle (y_(2) -y_(1) )/(x_(2) -x_(1) )`

Substitute known values:

`\displaystyle (4-8)/(-5--5)`

Simplify:

`\displaystyle (4-8)/(-5+5)=(-4)/(0)`

Since this slope is being divided by zero, the slope is undefined.

-> We can tell this right away by looking at the points given as well. They both have an x-value of -5 (I wanted to show the full work, though).