Question

Maria, Jose, Michael, and Jeffrey are working as partners. They need to find the slope of the line passing through two points. Each person wants to solve the problem differently. Explain who is going to find the correct slope of that line and why.

Answer 1

Jose and Michael got the right answer. They may have different ways to solve for the slope, they still have and will obtain the same result. The formula in getting the slope of two points is: m = (y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1)

Here's the reason how:

Let us use Jose's method which is:

(9-3)/(5-7) = 6/(-2) = -3

Jose assumed that the first coordinate (7,3) and the second coordinate is (5,9).

Let us use Michael's method which is:

(3-9)/(7-5) = -6/2 = -3

Michael, on the other hand, assumed that the first coordinate is (5,9) and the second coordinate is (7,3).

The slope of the two points is -3.

Therefore, only Jose and Michael got the correct answer.

Answer 2

To find the slope of a line passing through two points, calculate the change in y-values divided by the change in x-values.

Step-by-step explanation:

In order to find the slope of a line passing through two points, you need to calculate the change in the y-values divided by the change in the x-values. This is also known as the rise over run. Let's take the points (6.4 s, 2000 m) and (0.50 s, 525 m) as an example. The change in the y-values is 2000 m - 525 m = 1475 m, and the change in the x-values is 6.4 s - 0.50 s = 5.9 s. Therefore, the slope is 1475 m / 5.9 s = 250 m/s.