Question

Mr. Varney and Mr. Bailey are arguing over the order of points when finding slope. Mr. Varney believes the closest point to the origin should go first. Mr. Bailey disagrees and says that it's the furthest point that should go first. Mrs. Branham says they need to go back to school and relearn that the order isn't important. So who is correct?

A. Mr. Varney (Closest to the Origin)
B. Mr. Bailey (Furthest from the Origin)
C. Mrs. Branham (It doesn't matter which is first)

Answer 1

C. Mrs. Branham is correct. The order of points when finding the slope does not matter, the result will be the same regardless of which point is chosen first.

Answer 2

Mrs. Branham is correct in claiming that the order of points when determining the slope does not matter, as long as the calculation is consistent.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the debate over the correct order of points for finding slope, Mrs. Branham is correct. The slope of a line, which is the measure of its steepness, is calculated by the difference in the y-coordinates divided by the difference in the x-coordinates of two points on the line.

The formula used is (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1), where (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) are the coordinates of two distinct points on the line. This calculation will yield the same value for slope regardless of which point is designated as the first or the second, meaning whether the point is closer or further from the origin does not affect the outcome.

Therefore, the order of the points does not matter, as long as you are consistent throughout your calculations.