Question

What is the rate of change of the line that passes through the ordered pairs (-2, -1) and (-4, -7)?

A) m = 4/3
B) m = 1/3
C) m = 3/4
D) m = 3

Answer 1

m = (-7 - (-1))/(-4 - (-2)) = -6/-2 = 3

The correct answer is D.

Answer 2

The rate of change or slope of the line passing through the points (-2, -1) and (-4, -7) is calculated as the change in y over the change in x, resulting in a slope (m) of 3.

Step-by-step explanation:

The rate of change of a line, which can also be referred to as the slope, is determined by the ratio of the change in y-values to the change in x-values between two distinct points on the line. Given the points (-2, -1) and (-4, -7), we can calculate the slope (m) using the formula m = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1).

In this case, (y2 - y1) = (-7 - (-1)) = -6, and (x2 - x1) = (-4 - (-2)) = -2. Thus, the slope m is equal to -6/-2, which simplifies to 3. Therefore, the correct answer is D) m = 3.