Question

This graph shows the amount of rain that falls in a given amount of time.

What is the slope of the line and what does it mean in this situation?

Select from the drop-down menus to correctly complete each statement.

The slope of the line is
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.

This means that
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mm of rain falls every
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.

Answer 1

The slope of the line is

3

This means that

6mm

of rain falls every

1hr

Answer 2

Completing the statements: The slope of the line is 5/2. This means that 5/2 mm of rain falls every 1 hour.

How to interpret slope?

The slope of a line represents the ratio of the vertical change (rise) to the horizontal change (run) between two points on the line. The slope of the line above is calculated as: m = (5 - 10) / (2 - 4)

m = -5/-2

m = 5/ 2.

Since the slope of the line is calculated as 5/2, it represents the rate of change of the amount of rain over time. In this context, it means that 2.5 mm of rain falls every 1 hour. In order words, 5/2 mm of rain falls every 1 hour.