Final answer:
The slope of a line is calculated by the formula (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1). Slopes for the three provided pairs of points are -3/8, 1/2, and -3/2 respectively. Slope is a key concept in understanding the characteristics of a line on a graph.
Step-by-step explanation:
The slope of a line is calculated by using the formula (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1), which represents the change in y (rise) over the change in x (run) between two points. For the given points, we calculate the slope for each pair:
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- For points (0, 5) and (8, 2), the slope is (2 - 5) / (8 - 0) = -3 / 8.
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- For points (2, -1) and (6, 1), the slope is (1 - (-1)) / (6 - 2) = 2 / 4 = 1 / 2.
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- For points (-3, -2) and (-1, -5), the slope is (-5 - (-2)) / (-1 - (-3)) = -3 / 2.
The slope is a measure of how steep a line is and remains constant along a straight line. By understanding the concept of slope, one can determine the direction and steepness of the line.