Question

Given the equation of a line in slope-intercept form, y = mx + b, how can you determine the slope of the line?

Example:

For the equation y = x + 4.2, what is the slope of the line?

Options:

(a) 1
(b) 4.2
(c) 0
(d) Undefined

Answer 1

The slope of a line in the slope-intercept form equation y = mx + b is the coefficient m. For the given equation y = x + 4.2, the slope is 1.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the slope of the line from the equation in slope-intercept form, which is y = mx + b, you simply identify the coefficient of x, represented by m in the equation.

The slope describes the steepness of the line and is defined as the rise over the run.

In the example given, y = x + 4.2, the slope (m) is the coefficient of x, which is 1.

Hence, the slope of the line described by this equation is 1.

We do not consider 'b', the y-intercept, which tells us the point where the line crosses the y-axis, in this case, at y = 4.2.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is (a) 1.